PA: We may skip summit if a joint statement is not agreed upon - Haaretz

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		Olmert, right, hosting Abbas at his sukkah in Jerusalem Wednesday. (GPO)

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PA: We may skip summit if a joint statement is not agreed upon

By Barak Ravid, Avi Issacharoff and Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondents

The head of the Palestinian negotiating team, Ahmed Qureia, said on Saturday that if a joint Israeli-Palestinian statement is not formulated before the upcoming Middle East peace conference, the Palestinians may not participate in it.

Qureia, who is a former Palestinian Authority prime minister, told Saudi newpaper Al-Watan that the sides should agree before the summit - which Israeli officials say is set for November 26 - on a timetable for implementing agreements.

The former prime minister also said that the principles of a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are clear to both sides, and now they simply must be worded in a serious, unambiguous document.

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Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said on Friday that the Israeli and Palestinian teams asked to draft the joint statement ahead of the Annapolis conference will hold their first meeting Monday.

Abbas said he expected at least 36 states to attend, including 12 Arab states, three Muslim nations, the permanent members of the UN Security Council and the G-8.

"We hope that the number will increase to 40 states," Abbas was quoted as telling Palestinian dignitaries from Jerusalem on Friday evening, during a meal breaking the dawn-to-dusk fast of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The remarks were carried by the Palestinian news agency WAFA and confirmed by a participant.

Abbas did not provide a list of countries expected to attend. The U.S. has not released such a list.

In Friday's meeting, Abbas told his guests that a solution for Jerusalem would be key to any peace deal. "Jerusalem has always been in our hearts, and the hope that we have been looking at," Abbas was quoted as saying.

"There is no independent Palestinian state without Jerusalem as its capital. It is a concern in the coming, difficult days."

Abbas met with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Wednesday in Jerusalem to discuss the joint statement.

The statement may include references to the core issues of a final-status agreement on the establishment of a Palestinian state, but such references would be non-committal, and the statement will deal only with issues that enjoy clear agreement.

The parties differ greatly on the results they would like the conference to yield, with Abbas looking for agreement on core issues - Jerusalem, refugees and borders - while Olmert seeks a vague statement of interests.

Israeli officials said the statement would be "significant enough but general enough to avoid a blow-up and a crisis."

They also said "the parties understood there was no point to pledging that the statement would include agreement on core issues, but that if there were issues on which agreement could be be reached, they would be included in the statement."

"The stage at which the parties are at now is like a young couple that first moves in together," a Palestinian source told Haaretz. "It shows progress, and can lead to marriage, that is, to a peace agreement, but it might bring up all kinds of differences of opinions and lead to a painful break-up."

Senior Palestinian Authority officials said Olmert and Abbas' giving a green light to the negotiating teams to start work indicates headway, although no progress has been made on the permanent status issues.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is to arrive in Israel and the Palestinian Authority on Monday to see if a joint statement can include the core issues. A government official said that as Rice worked over the past two weeks to persuade the Arab countries to join the summit, she realized that "success for the Arab countries would be only if the core issues were mentioned in one way or another in the joint statement."

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki reiterated statements by Abbas that participants at the summit would need to set a timetable to implement the agreement, and that within six months the Palestinians want to see formulation of the agreement completed. He added that Abbas would bring any agreement to a referendum.

An Israeli source said, "There was agreement at the meeting that it was not necessary to talk about timetables."

The source said the Palestinians understood progress should be made in keeping with the road map, "because among other things they are not prepared for the war on terror."

Bush says he is 'very optimistic' about Palestinian statehood prospects
U.S. President George W. Bush said in comments aired on Friday he was "very optimistic" a Palestinian state could be set up alongside Israel and that next month's Middle East conference could lead towards peace in the region.

"I am very optimistic that we can achieve a two-state solution," Bush said in comments on Al Arabiya television that were dubbed in Arabic.

"We will host the international peace conference and it will be attended by the interested parties and a delegation from the Arab League and it is an opportunity for serious... discussions over the road forward to lead to a two-state solution and efforts will be made to reach this objective," Bush said.

"I want to affirm that the two-state solution is part of a comprehensive peace in the Middle East and that our strategy is for all parties to attend at the table for the sake of a comprehensive peace. We want to push this issue," Bush continued.

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1.	Ifso, why bother to go?	10:26	\|	Robin	05/10/07

2.	Why?	10:28	\|	Jimmy Deng	05/10/07

3.	November 26?? Won`t everyone run out of doubletalk before then?	10:50	\|	Natallie Durson	05/10/07

4.	Barak never invited Arafat to his house as a good sign for peace	12:10	\|	Tamir Palestine	05/10/07

5.	It`s Called the Appeasement Conference	13:52	\|	ralphsrant1	05/10/07

6.	IT`S ALL ABOUT MUTUAL TRUST... WITHOUT IT, NO FUTURE	13:52	\|	Eric	05/10/07

7.	garbage	16:27	\|	augustine e johnson	05/10/07

8.	THE DECIDER	16:41	\|	Mark of Lewiston	05/10/07

9.	Bush is very optimistic?	16:42	\|	Johnboy	05/10/07

10.	Someone tell Bush the `News`.	16:46	\|	Chick	05/10/07

11.	about the same as leaving iraq? or less so?	17:54	\|	victor hardman	05/10/07

12.	Fallacious statehood	18:18	\|	Brod	05/10/07

13.	Living in la-la land	18:18	\|	Mark Lincoln	05/10/07

14.	Bush is an idiot. He knows nothing about anything	18:23	\|	BradL	05/10/07

15.	Bush was also very optimistic	18:42	\|	Axel	05/10/07

16.	Still that great photograph	18:50	\|	Clickfool	05/10/07

17.	PA state	19:06	\|	paul	05/10/07

18.	So you do have that nature!	19:09	\|	Paul	05/10/07

19.	Oops! If Bush gets optimistic	19:43	\|	John	05/10/07

20.	Mark Lincoln-Won`t You Be Devastated If Bush Succeeds	19:45	\|	Jane	05/10/07

21.	What is public opinion in IL ?	20:07	\|	keith	05/10/07

22.	And Again He Does Not Speak To Israeli People.	20:58	\|	ralphsrant1	05/10/07

23.	Bush can only create destruction	21:00	\|	Mark	05/10/07

24.	Bush does not want to get Impeached.	21:04	\|	Mark	05/10/07

25.	I`ve heard Bush has read the Bible front to back 3 times	21:56	\|	I say, READ IT AGAIN	05/10/07

26.	Bonehead Bush	21:57	\|	Steve	05/10/07

27.	Sharon was also optimistic about Palestinian statehood	22:28	\|	Clickfool	05/10/07

28.	Off topic - that J-Date advert	22:36	\|	Clickfool	05/10/07

29.	Jane, I would rejoice if it succeeded	22:59	\|	Mark Lincoln	05/10/07

30.	Read it again	23:00	\|	Mark Lincoln	05/10/07

31.	He is wrong about EVERYTHING	23:03	\|	George	05/10/07

32.	palestinian statehood	23:55	\|	dean	05/10/07

33.	Bush is totally out of it	00:20	\|	Nemesis	06/10/07

34.	HE SAID THE US IS WINNING IN IRAQ WAR TOO	06:12	\|	indrajaya	06/10/07

35.	You live in a fantasy word, Jane # 20	08:56	\|	Clickfool	06/10/07

36.	Abbas, Rice and Olmert.	09:04	\|	sandra chitayat	06/10/07

37.	clickfool you`ve never met a Palestinian, clearly	11:23	\|	v. amused Israeli	06/10/07

38.	Palestinian demands	13:25	\|	Hilda	06/10/07

39.	What you really need to consider.....	13:29	\|	Johnboy	06/10/07

40.	to Mark of Leweston---the Decider	13:32	\|	Hilda	06/10/07

41.	mark	13:55	\|	A.M.	06/10/07

42.	This Conference Appears To Be A Non-Starter	14:59	\|	Bill Foonman	06/10/07

43.	Skip the Summit	15:23	\|	John	06/10/07

44.	there is no palestine	15:47	\|	glen	06/10/07

45.	DAMNED FOOLS	15:51	\|	Brant	06/10/07

46.	plastine	16:03	\|	azad	06/10/07

47.	Skip summit!	16:03	\|	Vital	06/10/07

48.	plastine	16:07	\|	azad	06/10/07

49.	PA may skip summit if no joint statement?	16:12	\|	Natallie Durson	06/10/07

50.	#4 Tamir - England	16:19	\|	* BEN JABO	06/10/07

51.	#6 Eric - Mutual Trust	16:21	\|	* BEN JABO	06/10/07

52.	Tamir Palestine # 4	16:47	\|	ChanahS	06/10/07

53.	What`s new?	16:50	\|	ChanahS	06/10/07

54.	Skip Summit!	16:56	\|	Vital	06/10/07

55.	Does anyone take this nonsense seriously?	17:04	\|	redmike	06/10/07

56.	Its doubtful now if there will ever be a Palestinian State	17:10	\|	Dagma	06/10/07

57.	Doubtful now if there will ever be a Palestinian State.	17:24	\|	Dagma	06/10/07

58.	Israel- Palestine States	17:25	\|	Skeptic	06/10/07

59.	skipping summit	17:35	\|	marv	06/10/07

60.	38 Hilda - The Decider	17:39	\|	Mark of Lewiston	06/10/07

61.	Clickfool # 28 - We Are Different. We Like Challenges.	17:46	\|	Eli	06/10/07

62.	If Bush is Optimistic ........	18:03	\|	Dolly	06/10/07

63.	PA is correct	18:10	\|	Steve	06/10/07

64.	To Clickfool # 35 - A Fantasy World indeed.	18:39	\|	Dolly	06/10/07

65.	For V.Amused Israeli # 37	19:09	\|	Clickfool	06/10/07

66.	For Eli in Berkeley # 51	19:13	\|	Clickfool	06/10/07

67.	The Slightest Possibility Of Success Depends On U.S. Arn-twisting	19:17	\|	chet	06/10/07

68.	Chet the sunshine kid	19:38	\|	Jasmine Murphy	06/10/07

69.	Who wants a summit anyhow?	19:44	\|	Palestinian Brit	06/10/07

70.	My only Map	19:56	\|	Realistic Arab	06/10/07

71.	Thanks For The Wish Clickfool - It`s A Done Deal Already	20:09	\|	Eli	06/10/07

72.	to skip or not to skip	20:28	\|	Shmuelshachor	06/10/07

73.	It`s all hopeless, Chet # 59	20:44	\|	Clickfool	06/10/07

74.	For Dagma # 49	20:54	\|	Clickfool	06/10/07

75.	palestinians are waiting for their chance of a normal life	21:21	\|	roberta	06/10/07

76.	No no Johngurl	21:21	\|	Boss Hog	06/10/07

77.	Please Mr. Ahmed Qureia, when you read...	22:37	\|	Dutch Dirk	06/10/07

78.	Skip, Skip, Skip To My Loo, My Darling	22:41	\|	Jeff Northridge	06/10/07

79.	Joint response, ALL Pal prisoners freed...	22:44	\|	MaryRose	06/10/07

80.	Brod, the dark forces	22:46	\|	christa	06/10/07

81.	Azad # 43 is right	22:49	\|	christa	06/10/07

82.	# 57 Dolly	22:55	\|	christa	06/10/07

83.	WHAT ABOUT SHALIT	23:43	\|	Stephen	06/10/07

84.	olmert	00:03	\|	rmallin	07/10/07

85.	#51 Skeptic	00:45	\|	* BEN JABO	07/10/07

86.	What kind of a game is that?	00:49	\|	Hamza	07/10/07

87.	contradicting sentiments - Abbas says hoping for 40 states	01:12	\|	Smadar	07/10/07

88.	# Hilda	02:09	\|	kiwgirl	07/10/07

89.	Roberta	02:20	\|	kiwgirl	07/10/07

90.	Clickfool # 74 at least try some honesty	02:23	\|	ChanahS	07/10/07

91.	#88 kiwi girl - don`t be so indignant	05:40	\|	*BEN JABO	07/10/07

92.	#89 Kiwigirl	05:43	\|	* BEN JABO	07/10/07

93.	Israel Won All The Lands Fair And Square In Defensive Battle	07:46	\|	Eli	07/10/07

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