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U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo on Tuesday. (Reuters) del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 23:56 16/10/2007 Rice: Timing of summit depends on Palestinian-Israeli progress By Avi Isacharoff and Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondents and News Agencies U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday that the regional conference scheduled to take place next month in Annapolis, Maryland would likely be delayed pending progress in Israeli and Palestinian talks on a joint document for a future peace agreement. The Palestinians want the document to address core issues of the peace negotiations, while Prime Minister Ehud Olmert wants a more vague statement. "We will contunue to work and help them to create this document and we will then be in a position I think fairly soon to talk about when this meeting ought to take place," Rice said. Advertisement She said the parties would be in a position soon to determine when the meeting will take place and said they were working within a November or December timeframe for the meeting in Annapolis. Rice is expected to meet Wednesday with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas for the second time this week, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Tuesday. "We are in intensive meetings with the Americans and President Abbas will meet Rice again, after having met her on Monday," Erekat told reporters in Ramallah. Erekat said Israeli and Palestinian teams continued to work on a joint document to be released ahead of the conference. Rice has also met with senior Israeli leaders this week, including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. On Tuesday she visited Cairo and met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, winning tempered Egyptian support in her quest to nudge Israelis and Palestinians closer together ahead of the regional summit. Egypt, a key mediator between the Arabs and Israel, has expressed deep skepticism over the conference in past weeks. A day earlier, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit spoke of postponing it for fear it would fail to bring a real breaktrough in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. But after talks Tuesday with Rice in Cairo, Aboul Gheit promised Egypt's backing for the gathering. "Rice has helped us to understand the American objective. She shed a great deal of light on the current American efforts," he told reporters. "We feel encouraged regarding what we heard from Secretary Rice and promised her that we would help and we would help the parties as well in order to achieve the objective which is launching the permanent status negotiations that would lead to the establisment of a Palestinian state on both the Palestinian territories," he said. Rice and Aboul Gheit said the timing of the conference depended on progress in Israeli-Palestinian talks on hammering out an agreement to be sealed at the gathering, expected to be held in November Annapolis, Maryland. Just ahead of Rice's visit, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit warned the summit may be postponed unless a substantive agreement can be reached beforehand. Aboul Gheit accused Israel of trying to undermine U.S. efforts to achieve a real peace agreement between the two sides before the meeting, saying, "Without addressing these attempts, then we have to seriously think of postponing the conference to another appropriate time," Aboul Gheit said in a statement Monday. "Rushing into holding the meeting without an agreement over a substantive and positive document may damage opportunities to achieve a just peace," he added. At a press conference after Rice and Abbas' meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Monday, the U.S. secretary of state said that the United States was deeply invested in an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. "The United States sees the establishment of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution as absolutely essential for the future, not just of Palestinians and Israelis but also for the Middle East and indeed to American interests," Rice said. "That's really a message that I think only I can deliver," she added. "We frankly have better things to do than invite people to Annapolis for a photo op," Rice continued. "Israelis and Palestinians are making their most serious effort in years to resolve the conflict. Frankly, it's time for the establishment of a Palestinian state." Rice urged Israel and the Palestinians to agree on how and when to start formal peace talks, to which Abbas responded by saying Israel would have to make concessions in order to do so. Abbas' demands included the withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces to the lines of September 28, 2000, before the second intifada erupted, the evacuation of settlements, the reopening of Palestinian institutions in East Jerusalem and the release of all Palestinian prisoners. He added that Israel must allow 13 militants it exiled in 2002 to return to the West Bank. Abbas requested Rice's help to halt construction in existing settlements, citing the corresponding clause of the road map for peace proposed in 2002 by the Quartet of Mideast negotiators comprising the U.S., the United Nations, the European Union and Russia. Rice will meet with both sides Wednesday after visiting Egypt. Then she will travel to London to meet Jordan's King Abdullah II in a bid to build support for the meeting among skeptical Arab nations. Related articles Rice: U.S. has no intention of imposing conditions on Israel PA to pressure U.S. to support freeze on settlement building Mugrabi excavations delayed due to appeal by Arab minister Erekat: Mideast peace summit without Israel-PA deal is mistake Summit negotiating teams: A study of opposites Bookmark to del.icio.us Hitler to 'turn in grave' Barenboim?s Israeli-Palestinian orchestra to play at an arena built by the Nazi leader. Prewar Hebron?s last Jew Yosef Ezra, whose family only left the city in 1947, testifies for its Jewish residents today.   1.   The Palestinians should.... 14:38  |  Bandar Michels 16/10/07   2.   New Palestinian State 14:45  |  jerry 16/10/07   3.   The folly of it all. Talks need to be more encompassing 16:26  |  Chick 16/10/07   4.   Oy Olmert, read and weep. 16:40  |  Ibra 16/10/07   5.   Palestinians Welcome Jews to Their Proposed state 16:41  |  Chick 16/10/07   6.   After meeting rice ... 16:45  |  Banker 16/10/07   7.   Good news 17:19  |  Samuel Foster 16/10/07   8.   #1 Bandar 17:22  |  Abu Yusuf 16/10/07   9.   to #6 Banker- You Forgot One 17:37  |  Chick 16/10/07   10.   Interesting times 17:41  |  Chris Linthwaite 16/10/07   11.   Bandar - the PA (Hamas) can`t accept that either 17:52  |  Polybios 16/10/07   12.   Nethanyahu is being conspicuous 17:53  |  Chris Linthwaite 16/10/07   13.   Rice is talking to the wrong people... 17:53  |  kokonot 16/10/07   14.   Samuel F. #7 17:56  |  Polybios 16/10/07   15.   Mubarak is NOT Egypt 17:59  |  Polybios 16/10/07   16.   Condi Rice and the Egyptians. 19:14  |  Hilda 16/10/07   17.   The many faces of Egypt 19:14  |  Avi 16/10/07   18.   Wow - How many billions did she promise Mubarak ??? 19:18  |  Norman 16/10/07   19.   Jerry - All Jews Should stay in Palestine 19:21  |  Man 16/10/07   20.   #17 Avi 19:29  |  Chris Linthwaite 16/10/07   21.   Chris L. #20 - a rational assessment, except.. 19:55  |  Polybios 16/10/07   22.   Chick how could you? 20:12  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 16/10/07   23.   `Man` 19 20:16  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 16/10/07   24.   #23 Margie of Tel Aviv 20:31  |  Chris Linthwaite 16/10/07   25.   Margie - it`s ARABIA, not Saudia 20:44  |  Polybios 16/10/07   26.   US/EU Determined to DESTROY HUMAN RIGHTS of Jews & Christians (1) 20:46  |  Linda Rivera 16/10/07   27.   Margie in Tel Aviv 20:56  |  Man 16/10/07   28.   #26 Linda Rivera 21:05  |  Peter XM 16/10/07   29.   2nd Attempt Margie in Tel Aviv- please read my post #5 22:37  |  Chick 16/10/07   30.   www.shayfeen.com 22:56  |  Ibra 16/10/07   31.   #28 Peter XM - Wow, have you got that wrong. 23:18  |  Chick 16/10/07   32.   EGYPYT AND JORDAN`S DILEMMA 23:27  |  Brant 16/10/07   33.   2nd Attempt - Peter XM - Wow, Have you Got that Wrong! 23:44  |  Chick 16/10/07   34.   Downgrading the conference in order to save it 23:56  |  Tosefta 16/10/07   35.   1Bandar Michaels,the only legally authorised border between 00:03  |  lakshmi 17/10/07   36.   Third Attempt -Peter XM #28 - Are you Wrong!! 00:13  |  Chick 17/10/07   37.   There is no way I can support this one way conference 00:17  |  ralphsrant1 17/10/07   38.   #22Margie the expert on Apartheid shares knowledge 01:36  |  Labhras 17/10/07   39.   America Breaking US Laws Against RACISM 02:05  |  Linda Rivera 17/10/07   40.   This comment should have gone after #26 HUMAN RIGHTS DESTROYED 02:11  |  Linda Rivera 17/10/07   41.   #39 Linda Riveraria 02:28  |  Peter XM 17/10/07   42.   #40 Linda Rivera 02:30  |  Peter XM 17/10/07   43.   LABHRAS AND JEW-BAITING 02:56  |  Brant 17/10/07   44.   LETS PENCIL IN THE YEAR 2050 THEN 04:51  |  Ray Alisste 17/10/07   45.   Lahbras 05:49  |  danite 17/10/07   46.   Does anyone actually ask Olmert this simple question? 06:11  |  Johnboy 17/10/07   47.   For Peter XM # 42 09:13  |  Clickfool 17/10/07   48.   Tosefta #34 09:19  |  S 17/10/07   49.   What is happening to George B ush these days... 09:48  |  Dagma 17/10/07   50.   IN AMERICAN EYES......SINCE LEBANON...... 10:09  |  Dolly 17/10/07   51.   #43 Jews against Apartheid 10:46  |  Boycott 17/10/07   52.   US Summit an acid test for US independence from AIPAC 11:57  |  Ivar 17/10/07   53.   Man #19 (=All Jews should stay in Palestine) 21:15  |  J.M.Jordan 17/10/07

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