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Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. (Archives)
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Last update - 07:42 02/09/2007
Livni warns Rice: Summit could fail due to unreasonable goals
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has begun formulating "realistic" goals for the Washington Mideast summit scheduled for November. In recent conversations with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and in a meeting last Monday with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayad, Livni said that all of the parties would serve to benefit from reasonable expectations for the summit. Unreasonable goals would cause the conference to end in failure, she said.

Jerusalem officials say Rice seems to be taking the opposite approach, believing that setting the bar high will lead to greater achievements. Livni warned Rice against acting too hastily, saying that expectations must be in keeping with developments on the ground.

September will be a busy month for Israeli officials involved in the summit. The European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, is due to arrive Sunday for talks with Livni, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Fayad, before visiting Jordan and Egypt.

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Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer will arrive Monday for his third visit to Israel since being appointed Mideast envoy for the Quartet about two months ago; Tony Blair will follow on Tuesday.

Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema is due to arrive on Wednesday, and, on September 11, Livni's French counterpart, Bernard Kouchner, will make his maiden voyage to the region in his new position. Rice will land in the region on the 15th.

Livni believes that hopes for the summit are already unreasonably high.

One problem area that she has identified is that Israel is able to make significant concessions on core issues, such as Jerusalem and future borders, whereas Abbas does not have the public support needed to compromise over refugees and the right of return.

Livni seeks obtainable goals that are significant enough to be considered genuine achievements. "I don't believe in holding a fire sale of Israel's assets, because the public won't allow it," Livni said recently, adding that Abbas "cannot provide even a single concession, which will lead to a breakdown from which none of the parties will profit."

A few days ago, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Dr. Robert Danin, an aide to Rice, met in Israel with Prime Minister's Office Chief of Staff Yoram Turbowicz and high-level Foreign Ministry officials, and with Fayad.

Danin told his Israeli hosts that the key to the November summit was Saudi Araba, although the extent of their participation and agenda has yet to be determined.

In the last week of the month, the center of gravity moves to New York, with a meeting of the Quartet on September 23, followed the next day by a meeting of donor countries to the Palestinians known as the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee.

Blair is expected to set out a detailed plan at this meeting. The United Nations General Assembly will open in New York during the same week.
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  1.   If Abbas cannot give any concessions... 05:05  |  Giles Martin 02/09/07
  2.   It`s Not Mine, Take It 05:15  |  Raviv 02/09/07
  3.   First Reasonable Comment Livni has ever said 05:22  |  ralphsrant1 02/09/07
  4.   Dumb and Dumber 05:23  |  Joe 02/09/07
  5.   What is neeed are more special envoys and caveats about 05:32  |  Sensible 02/09/07
  6.   Giles Martin 06:12  |  JOJO 02/09/07
  7.   This Story Lacks Substance 06:37  |  Mark of Lewiston 02/09/07
  8.   Israel is unwilling to face reality 06:37  |  spyguy 02/09/07
  9.   Jojo - no one will force the Muslims to change 06:41  |  spyguy 02/09/07
  10.   Let me clarify Livnis remarks 06:50  |  Natallie Durson 02/09/07
  11.   Why the SUMMIT WILL FAIL.......... again 06:55  |  amir 02/09/07
  12.   rice is wrong, no wonder failed in iraq and elsewhere 07:00  |  ralph 02/09/07
  13.   No peace while Hamas exists 07:04  |  Voice of Reason 02/09/07
  14.   #4 you are dumber than I think 07:18  |  alex 02/09/07
  15.   concessions? 07:20  |  jake 02/09/07
  16.   RICE CAN NOT BE TRUSTED..... 07:34  |  x 02/09/07
  17.   It should be clear to all, any final solution must be based on: 07:54  |  Yaniv 02/09/07
  18.   Summit Will Fail Thank G_D 08:06  |  Gary Pineda 02/09/07
  19.   Voice of Reason #10 08:30  |  S 02/09/07
  20.   Natallie Durson - LOL 08:38  |  x 02/09/07
  21.   dumb and dumber for joe 08:49  |  Jonathan 02/09/07
  22.   Charade 08:53  |  Henry 02/09/07
  23.   Summit 08:57  |  Jaime 02/09/07
  24.   isarel is stalling? 09:35  |  bashar 02/09/07
  25.   summit failed before it started 09:54  |  scanadu 02/09/07
  26.   To Durston 10:00  |  Tony Soprano 02/09/07
  27.   To Raviv 10:04  |  PalWatch 02/09/07
  28.   Let`s have tea ... 10:20  |  Cynical 02/09/07
  29.   here we go gathering nuts in may 10:25  |  victor hardman 02/09/07
  30.   Livini`s goals: no goals and US taxpayers continue to pay 10:38  |  Petteri 02/09/07
  31.   Livni is right 10:39  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 02/09/07
  32.   Respect for the honorable FM! 10:43  |  Judith, Haifa 02/09/07
  33.   #8 SPYGUY AND REALITY AS A DOOM MERCHANT 10:47  |  PAUL HARRIS 02/09/07
  34.   The Summit WILL fail... 10:54  |  Burkhardt 02/09/07
  35.   BOTH OF THEM IN A DEEP SHIITEEE 10:54  |  indrajaya 02/09/07
  36.   "Developments on the ground." 11:09  |  Maureen Ann 02/09/07
  37.   With all due respect and best of intentions, Abbas and his people 11:10  |  Gad Aharoni 02/09/07
  38.   A CLEAR CUT EXAMPLE OF CHUTZPAH 11:17  |  indrajaya 02/09/07
  39.   Livni should announce there will be an Israeli referendum 11:20  |  Sam 02/09/07
  40.   That`s the downside of having a toothless old Uncle Tom 11:23  |  Clickfool 02/09/07
  41.   Did anyone speak of Success?! 11:31  |  Sharif Hafez 02/09/07
  42.   Wake-Up Livni 11:43  |  isratinian 02/09/07
  43.   What does this stupid woman want? 11:51  |  Khalid 02/09/07
  44.   Sharif Hafez 12:02  |  notblackorwhite 02/09/07
  45.   I do think Yaniv`s points are important for all 12:17  |  Yair Halevi 02/09/07
  46.   Fire-sale 12:26  |  Peter Dale 02/09/07
  47.   FALE INDRAJAYA ALERT 12:30  |  indrajaya 02/09/07
  48.   #42 Khalid; "you always have Jordan"! 12:50  |  Alice of Wonderland 02/09/07
  49.   Cancel the summit: self-deception is forbidden in Judaism! 13:09  |  Alice of Wonderland 02/09/07
  50.   #43, Alice of Wonderland 13:16  |  Fritz 02/09/07
  51.   42Khalid,agreed & at this stage the only just & fair solution is 13:20  |  lakshmi 02/09/07
  52.   No Chance of a Palestinian State ..... 13:28  |  Dagma 02/09/07
  53.   #45 Fritz: I put my trust in G-D, who is my rock and redeemer 13:34  |  Alice of Wonderland 02/09/07
  54.   Khalid, I know you Arabs like to tell stories, "neratives", and 13:37  |  Gad Aharoni 02/09/07
  55.   Fritz, is that your intention, that "this neo-colonialist shop 13:42  |  Gad Aharoni 02/09/07
  56.   the gathering of lame ducks 13:43  |  rose 02/09/07
  57.   In other words.... 13:47  |  Wiktor 02/09/07
  58.   For Dagma # 47 13:49  |  Clickfool 02/09/07
  59.   For Alice of Wonderland # 48 13:53  |  Clickfool 02/09/07
  60.   concessions?..... 13:54  |  ravi 02/09/07
  61.   #48, Alice in Wonderland 14:00  |  Fritz 02/09/07
  62.   45Fritz,a tough one indeed ! 14:06  |  lakshmi 02/09/07
  63.   A` Palestinian ` State ........ 14:10  |  Dagma 02/09/07
  64.   double dealings 14:20  |  Nick Ferriman 02/09/07
  65.   For Dagma 14:22  |  Clickfool 02/09/07
  66.   #54 Clickfool: Hitler was behind the Holocaust, NOT G-D ! 14:25  |  Alice of Wonderland 02/09/07
  67.   Both leadership lack integrity 14:35  |  Enlightenment needed 02/09/07
  68.   Antipeace and ill founded accusations. 14:36  |  Giles Martin 02/09/07
  69.   Yaniv, I think your points correspond to the 14:51  |  Dina 02/09/07
  70.   #57 Fritz: is there anything the Pals could give us in return too 14:53  |  Alice of Wonderland 02/09/07
  71.   I agree, Alice of Wonderland # 60 14:54  |  Clickfool 02/09/07
  72.   To Clickfoot # 55 = God knows 15:01  |  Dagma 02/09/07
  73.   For Alice of Wonderland # 65 15:10  |  Clickfool 02/09/07
  74.   Endless Bush failure and Israels strategic imperative, 1 15:12  |  David Turner 02/09/07
  75.   Endless Bush failure and Israels strategic imperative, 2 15:14  |  David Turner 02/09/07
  76.   Israel must not participate to this conf`erence 15:15  |  Frank 02/09/07
  77.   Reasonable vs unreasonable goals 15:18  |  Mark Lincoln 02/09/07
  78.   Mark of Lewiston 15:20  |  Mark Lincoln 02/09/07
  79.   land land more land 15:20  |  edgar 02/09/07
  80.   #53, Gad Aharoni 15:25  |  Fritz 02/09/07
  81.   Bush