French FM: Mideast summit must be tackled with caution - Haaretz

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		French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner speaking at a press conference following his meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo on Thursday. (AP)

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Last update - 19:09 13/09/2007

French FM: Mideast summit must be tackled with caution

By DPA

Cairo - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Thursday that the issue of an international Middle East peace conference should be tackled with caution in order to be effective, especially after the disappointments of earlier conferences.

"We should play an efficient role for realizing [a] comprehensive, fair peace in the region," Kouchner said during a joint press conference Thursday with Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa.

Moussa said that so far, the Arab side has not been informed of any preparations for the conference, which is to take place in November, which raised "question marks about the goals of the conference and its agenda."

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He said no Arabs would take part in a peace conference whose agenda was "unclear," denouncing the recent Israeli statements about reducing Palestinian expectations.

Moussa wondered "whether Arabs could attend a conference and exchange smiles, while Israeli settlements continue to be built on the occupied Palestinian territories."

In another joint press conference with Kouchner in Cairo, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit said the communications between Egypt, the U.S. and other international parties did not reveal the U.S.?s vision regarding the conference.

"Holding this conference, which aims at pushing forward the peace process, without agreeing on establishing a Palestinian state will lead to serious consequences," Abul-Gheit said.

Kouchner said he agreed with Abul-Gheit's views, but added that he had been informed of progress that was made between Israel and the Palestinians, which gave some hope that should be taken into consideration.

Kouchner's visit to Egypt was part of a Middle East tour that so far has also taken him to Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Jordan. He is heading to Lebanon later Thursday.

Kouchner said Wednesday in Jordan that his country was against "intervention" in the ongoing discussions between Israelis and the Palestinians ahead of the international conference.

The French minister said he had discussed with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas the outcome of his talks Tuesday with King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia.

The bilateral talks focused on the prospects of closing Palestinian ranks in the wake of the disruption that followed Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip in mid-June.

Kouchner said the Palestinian chairman had asked France to support and take part in the international conference proposed earlier this year by U.S. President George W Bush.

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1.	Sderot	19:55	\|	Ari	13/09/07

2.	Peace conference & rocket attacks	19:57	\|	Graig	13/09/07

3.	The Status Quo - At All Cost	20:26	\|	chet	13/09/07

4.	One-sided nonsense	20:28	\|	Denton	13/09/07

5.	Any future accomodation between the sides must include:	20:38	\|	Rina Galili	13/09/07

6.	The Arabs made an offer for Peace in 2002	20:44	\|	Mark	13/09/07

7.	This is a tough one...	20:47	\|	Giles Martin	13/09/07

8.	Question for Moussa	21:13	\|	ben	13/09/07

9.	There can never be any separate Arab political entity	21:25	\|	Uzi	13/09/07

10.	I can understand the Arab feelings "...going on"	21:26	\|	J.M.Jordan	13/09/07

11.	OBVIOUS PROPAGANDA PLOY	22:18	\|	Arik Silverman	13/09/07

12.	90 years of hot air and not a balloon in the sky	22:19	\|	victor hardman	13/09/07

13.	Turn about	22:35	\|	Gene Warech	13/09/07

14.	1949 Armistice	22:43	\|	Gene Warech	13/09/07

15.	All Settlement Construction Must Be Frozen NOW	23:07	\|	Voice of Reason	13/09/07

16.	When there are no Arabs in Israel, Europe or America...	23:21	\|	Efox	13/09/07

17.	The real question is should Israel attend a peace summit while	23:26	\|	David	13/09/07

18.	re: Arik Silverman	23:26	\|	Efox	13/09/07

19.	Palestinian what?	01:28	\|	Alan	14/09/07

20.	Ben,Kidnapped?	02:39	\|	John	14/09/07

21.	ari 1	04:46	\|	realism	14/09/07

22.	MOUSSA`S TRUTH	06:15	\|	ron	14/09/07

23.	To Denton	06:39	\|	Neil	14/09/07

24.	To Neil	08:11	\|	Denton	14/09/07

25.	THEY WILL BECOME A LAUGHING STOCK	08:47	\|	indrajaya	14/09/07

26.	Rina # 5, to the best of my knowledge you express the view	09:24	\|	Albert	14/09/07

27.	to neil	09:28	\|	simon	14/09/07

28.	Dear indrajaya	09:30	\|	Denton	14/09/07

29.	Would you dish up an old cake you`d put back into the fridge	10:01	\|	J.M.Jordan	14/09/07

30.	Time for Jews to have their civil war over settlements	11:11	\|	Joe	14/09/07

31.	THE PROBLEM ......say the Arabs	11:31	\|	Dagma	14/09/07

32.	#2 Graig	11:31	\|	Outsider	14/09/07

33.	Nothing is going to happen unless Hamas is in the game!In his	12:28	\|	lakshmi	14/09/07

34.	Part Two,Hamas MAY accept the Partition Line,plus East J as	12:32	\|	lakshmi	14/09/07

35.	To lakshmi # 33 - `1948 lands`?	14:08	\|	Dagma	14/09/07

36.	Lakshmi, how about another tack; pro-Hamas and anti-Fatah?	14:14	\|	Uzi	14/09/07

37.	Lakshmi, less than nothing is happening unless a large majority	14:31	\|	Uzi	14/09/07

38.	Lakshmi, would you consider this alternative plan just and fair?	14:43	\|	Uzi	14/09/07

39.	To Arik Silverman # 11	14:49	\|	Dagma	14/09/07

40.	Lakshmi, thank you for recognizing Israel as a fait accompli.	15:07	\|	Uzi	14/09/07

41.	Democratically elected (2) Palestinian Govts	15:17	\|	17	14/09/07

42.	The only Recognised and Just Solution......	15:37	\|	Dolly	14/09/07

43.	To DAGMA # 31	16:09	\|	Pathfinder	14/09/07

44.	To Graig # 2 - `Should Israel attend ...	16:23	\|	Natasha	14/09/07

45.	To chet # 3 - The Status Quo	17:13	\|	Missknowall	14/09/07

46.	35Dagma,I cannot speak for Haniyeh,but I assume he is talking	17:27	\|	lakshmi	14/09/07

47.	40 Uzi,the question of ancestral land is controversial,since many	17:37	\|	lakshmi	14/09/07

48.	Lakshmi, your history lecture is useless `progressive` propaganda	18:20	\|	Uzi	14/09/07

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