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Last update - 10:49 17/08/2007
PM, Abbas negotiate core issues on founding Palestinian state
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent

Talks between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on a future Palestinian state are stuck on the issue of the Palestinian refugee problem, government sources in Jerusalem told Haaretz this week. Abbas is refusing to make significant concessions, the sources said.

They said Abbas and Olmert have in recent weeks been negotiating a new document on the core issues of forming a Palestinian state. The one-page document has five general clauses on central issues such as the permanent borders of the future Palestinian state, the question of jurisdiction over holy sites in Jerusalem, and the Palestinian refugee problem.

Olmert and Abbas have reached several understandings, but have yet to agree on actual resolutions, the sources said, adding that the two leaders will meet at the end of the month to discuss the issues.

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Both Israeli and Palestinian parties involved in the negotiations said the document was meant to be completed for the international peace conference U.S. President George W. Bush plans to hold in the fall.

Foreign diplomats said Abbas' aides told them that the international conference could not take place before the document is completed. Sources at Olmert's office, however, suggested a different approach. "We're hoping to complete the document of principles before the conference, but the meeting does not depend on the document's completion," one said.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is scheduled to arrive in Israel early next month to try to bridge the gap between the Palestinian and Israeli positions. Rice is reportedly determined to deal with core issues on her next visit, as opposed to tactical problems such as Israeli checkpoints in the West Bank or security concessions aimed at improving living conditions for the Palestinians.

If the document is completed in time it will form the basis for further discussions at the conference, government sources said. An extended Palestinian negotiation team will meet with an Israeli team to discuss each clause at greater length. Sources involved with the negotiations said the Palestinian side had already assembled a team to handle the talks.

Israeli diplomats have yet to set up such a delegation, but Jerusalem is currently forming a negotiating strategy for future talks with the Palestinians. The strategists are also enlisting international support and assistance for the talks.

The strategy is based on three areas:

1. Bilateral talks with the Palestinians. The guidelines for negotiations with the Palestinians are restricted to local issues. The immediate goal will be to weaken Hamas, the Fatah rivals who seized control of the Gaza Strip last June. This would be achieved through a boycott on Hamas amid attempts to bolster Abbas' West Bank government.

2. Regional Arab issues. In its dealings with moderate Arab states, Israel is no longer demanding full recognition. Instead, Israel will seek a gradual rapprochement with the Arab League. Israel aims to secure the Arab League's support and assistance for the international conference. Sources in Jerusalem said, however, that Arab diplomats are skeptical about the conference and fear that it has little chance of breaking the impasse in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

3. Issues concerning the international community and the international Quartet of Mideast mediators. Israel, according to government sources, is seeking additional financial support for Abbas' regime from the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations.

As Israeli diplomatic experts tackle these challenges, government sources believe the plans are hard to implement "even after we reach the document of understating with the Palestinians," one said. For this reason, a source in Jerusalem said that "the negotiations should aspire to pertain to as broad a diplomatic context as possible."
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  1.   Peace Agreement ? Allan forbid 01:58  |  GZLives 17/08/07
  2.   As a Palestinian i say let Palestinians return to Palestine!!!!!! 01:59  |  ALI 17/08/07
  3.   Arab "Wrong" of Return 02:10  |  Ron 17/08/07
  4.   REcognition? Lets Arabs recognize Israel FIRST 02:14  |  David 17/08/07
  5.   #2 ALI 02:27  |  Reuben Jacobs 17/08/07
  6.   It`s A Beautiful Thing - Keep Talking 02:35  |  Jane 17/08/07
  7.   Israel as a Jewish state? 02:36  |  Neil 17/08/07
  8.   For Abbas` Credibility, Let Arab League Run Referendum on "ROR" 02:38  |  dyinglikeflies 17/08/07
  9.   i want likud to... 02:59  |  vik 17/08/07
  10.   If Abbas makes concessions he will be called quisling 03:04  |  Sam 17/08/07
  11.   A TIP OF THE HAT FOR ALI 03:07  |  Brant 17/08/07
  12.   Good luck to your leaders,they have good intention and plan for u 03:13  |  Simon Mohammed 17/08/07
  13.   He can`t do that! 03:17  |  Mark Lincoln 17/08/07
  14.   See, he owes it to BOTH of the men 03:18  |  Mark Lincoln 17/08/07
  15.   Due to unforseen circumstances 03:20  |  Mark Lincoln 17/08/07
  16.   The five points 03:22  |  Mark Lincoln 17/08/07
  17.   Both Olmert and Abbas were seen 03:23  |  Mark Lincoln 17/08/07
  18.   We intend to announce the failure 03:24  |  Mark Lincoln 17/08/07
  19.   This means 03:25  |  Mark Lincoln 17/08/07
  20.   The endless babble solution 03:26  |  Mark Lincoln 17/08/07
  21.   RATIFICATION 03:29  |  Mark of Lewiston 17/08/07
  22.   return 03:38  |  chazak 17/08/07
  23.   The quisling is not going to concede anything,it`s one thing to 03:45  |  lakshmi 17/08/07
  24.   Template for peace 03:53  |  ATLAS 17/08/07
  25.   Turning a Position of Strength Into Weakness 03:58  |  Yoram 17/08/07
  26.   #20- Mark Lincoln 04:18  |  Yoram 17/08/07
  27.   Ali # 2 You are so right. 04:31  |  Lynn 17/08/07
  28.   #12 HI! Simon Mohammed.... 04:33  |  Lynn 17/08/07
  29.   Lakshmi- Who the hell made you the Arab representative? 04:49  |  Sam 17/08/07
  30.   return 04:50  |  ishmael 17/08/07
  31.   Mark Lincoln 05:11  |  TonyL 17/08/07
  32.   The refugee issue is actually the easiest to solve 05:25  |  Tosef duh 17/08/07
  33.   Palestinians have yet to make a single concession in 60 years 05:25  |  McQueen 17/08/07
  34.   Advice to Olmert 05:29  |  Edgar 17/08/07
  35.   Neither Yoram nor Lakshmi need to worry-no peace in our time 05:39  |  Voice of Reason 17/08/07
  36.   To #24: ATLAS 05:56  |  Abe 17/08/07
  37.   Mark Lincoln read Mark of Lewiston 06:05  |  Danite 17/08/07
  38.   Very Good -Abbas keep the pressure up 06:08  |  Danite 17/08/07
  39.   # 33 Abe`s Jerusalem question 06:37  |  ATLAS 17/08/07
  40.   #20 06:40  |  bill 17/08/07
  41.   #30 06:45  |  bill 17/08/07
  42.   #30 McQueen makes an odd statement 07:11  |  Johnboy 17/08/07
  43.   Sam re Lakshmi 07:17  |  Danite 17/08/07
  44.   Man, ya` just gotta laugh! 07:26  |  Johnboy 17/08/07
  45.   We Need More #2s 07:29  |  Tod Zuckerman 17/08/07
  46.   bycott hamas....! 07:31  |  ravi 17/08/07
  47.   without naming any names 08:00  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 17/08/07
  48.   McQueen - Palestinians and Compromise 08:02  |  Bill 17/08/07
  49.   #14, Mark Lincoln 08:03  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 17/08/07
  50.   #16, Mark Lincoln 08:07  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 17/08/07
  51.   #31, Tony L, and Danite 08:12  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 17/08/07
  52.   Bill of Brisbane - The Indian Wars 08:20  |  Mark of Lewiston 17/08/07
  53.   Bill of Brisbane - The Indian Wars - 2 08:25  |  Mark of Lewiston 17/08/07
  54.   PA tourney named after terrorist 08:28  |  Ken Jurist 17/08/07
  55.   What`s this about Peace Talks in Amman 08:30  |  ralphsrant1 17/08/07
  56.   GZLives - Allan? Forbid 08:34  |  Monty Python Lives 17/08/07
  57.   Ken Jurist - Names 08:47  |  Mark of Lewiston 17/08/07
  58.   Here is an equitable and quite practicable diplomatic horizon: 09:37  |  Uzi 17/08/07
  59.   Improvement 10:08  |  indrajaya 17/08/07
  60.   neil from auckland #7 10:30  |  scanadu 17/08/07
  61.   answer to indrajaya at # 59 10:43  |  scanadu 17/08/07
  62.   Rule of thumb 11:42  |  Hannah 17/08/07
  63.   Why adopt a new list of principles? 11:54  |  Giles Martin 17/08/07
  64.   Head over heels to a new disaster 12:27  |  Alicia 17/08/07
  65.   #42 johnboy palestinain compromise ?un 242 13:00  |  duncan 17/08/07
  66.   the tale of 90 years of blether,arabs will be arabs 13:13  |  victor hardman 17/08/07
  67.   How can any one trust the idiots who negotiated Oslo 13:17  |  El-Birawi 17/08/07
  68.   #65 get it right duncan johnboy doesnt 13:24  |  victor hardman 17/08/07
  69.   The PRESTO PEACE conference! 15:10  |  sandra chitayat 17/08/07
  70.   El Birawe Strange grounds for objection 15:41  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 17/08/07
  71.   All these UN resolutions are non-binding anyway 15:43  |  Angelique 17/08/07
  72.   El Birawi- It`s not just the negotiators, it`s the issues too 15:51  |  Sam 17/08/07
  73.   The fun part... 15:54  |  sandra chitayat 17/08/07
  74.   67El Birawi,equating Hamas & fatah sounds fine on paper,but does 16:00  |  lakshmi 17/08/07
  75.   THERE WILL BE BE ONE 16:14  |  indrajaya 17/08/07
  76.   THERE WILL NEVER BE ONE 16:30  |  indrajaya 17/08/07
  77.   43Danite,anyone who has been reading my posts would know that I 16:33  |  lakshmi 17/08/07
  78.   67 El-Birawi - Trust 16:43  |  Mark of Lewiston 17/08/07
  79.   mark lincoln from#15 to#20 16:47  |  scanadu 17/08/07
  80.   Olmert does not plan on peace 16:51  |  Tosefta 17/08/07
  81.   The litmus paper in finding the real partner.