Subscribe to Print Edition | Mon., November 19, 2007 Kislev 9, 5768 | | Israel Time: 04:57 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Print Edition Diplomacy Defense Arts & Leisure Real Estate Jewish World National Advertising Easy Start Magazine Business Opinion Rosner's Domain Anglo File Week's End Books

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert meeting with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner in Jerusalem on Sunday. (GPO) del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 00:47 19/11/2007 Sources: Palestinians drop out of all deals set for joint draft By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent and News Agencies Tags: peace process, France, Israel  The Palestinian Authority has retracted its support for all agreements set until now for a joint document to be presented alongside Israel at an upcoming regional peace conference, senior political sources in Jerusalem said Sunday. The sources said that the talks between the sides have stalled again. The Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams will meet once more on Sunday to attempt to bridge the rifts between them.. Sources in Jerusalem said that due to the disagreements between the two sides, it was likely that a joint document would not be drafted in time for the conference. Earlier Sunday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the visiting French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner that the upcoming Mideast peace conference could not possibly fail because the very existence of such an endeavor is a success in itself. Advertisement Most of the meeting between Olmert and Kouchner was devoted to the forthcoming conference scheduled for later this month in Annapolis, Maryland, and the subsequent Paris conference scheduled for December 17. The French foreign minister began a visit to the region for a tour of Israel and the Palestinian Authority on Saturday. Olmert briefed Kouchner on the progress in the diplomatic process and made it clear that the Israeli and Palestinian sides intend, at Annapolis, to launch negotiations on a permanent agreement. "Annapolis cannot be a failure because its very existence constitutes a success," the prime minister said, "we are talking about the launching of negotiations that have not been held for seven years, in the presence of dozens of countries before the entire world. The goal of the Annapolis meeting is to create international support for the bilateral process that will take place between us and the Palestinians." Kouchner, who intends to go to Annapolis, expressed his country's satisfaction over the existence of the meeting, in regard to both the diplomatic developments surrounding it and the directions in which the sides are making progress. In December, France intends to host the Paris conference which aims to raise funds for building an effective regime in the Palestinian Authority, under the aegis of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayad. The Prime Minister promised that Israel would send a delegation to the Paris conference. The two also discussed regional developments in general, including the expected elections in Lebanon, Syria and Iran's efforts to equip itself with nuclear weapons. Olmert emphasized that time for dealing with the issue is running out and added that Israel estimates that if conditions for technological capabilities, including their attainment and implementation, work in Iran's favor, it is likely that by the end of 2009, Iran will have all the components to assemble a nuclear weapon. The two leaders agreed to continue bilateral cooperation on the issue. Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas dispatched top aides to Washington on Sunday to try to narrow differences with Israel and ensure wide Arab participation in theconference. Abbas and Ehud Olmert plan to meet on Monday in Jerusalem for the last time before attending the conference. Related articles: PM Olmert's speech at Memorial Ceremony in Honor of David Ben-Gurion Arab powerhouses to decide Friday on attending regional peace meet French FM: France is not ruling out a military strike on Iran French FM: World must prepare for possible war with Iran Annapolis joint declaration to focus on goals of final status talks Peace Index: October 2007 / Unenthused by Annapolis Bookmark to del.icio.us MTV generation MTV launches new channel in effort to draw Arab viewers. Not settling for less PA to U.S.: We demand a complete settlement freeze.   1.   That the "peace summit" will be useless doesn`t matter 13:34  |  Clickfool 18/11/07   2.   World`s Record for Pre-Spin 14:31  |  Ovadiah ben Avraham 18/11/07   3.   Olmert declares success 14:32  |  Natallie Durson 18/11/07   4.   Olmert is a joke 14:44  |  Kenny 18/11/07   5.   Clickfools Unexplained Phenomena 14:45  |  Rupert 18/11/07   6.   OLMERT SHOULD BE JAILED IN ADVANCE OF ANNAPOLIS 14:57  |  T.Ruth 18/11/07   7.   Whenever a meeeting fails they say the success was that 14:58  |  Zev 18/11/07   8.   freezing settlement construction 15:04  |  roberta 18/11/07   9.   Empy Rhetorics 15:43  |  Baz Mann 18/11/07   10.   Olmert again plays the fool 15:58  |  Mark Lincoln 18/11/07   11.   And if Clickfool claims something it must be so, 16:24  |  Mendeleyev 18/11/07   12.   If No Expectations At All, Why Go? 16:34  |  dyinglikeflies 18/11/07   13.   GOD ALMIGHTY IS GREAT! PALESTINIANS BACK OUT! RETAKE GAZA W.BANK) 16:40  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 18/11/07   14.   LETS FACE IT THEY DONT WANT PEACE 16:51  |  Ray Ality 18/11/07   15.   Clickfool is RIGHT again 16:56  |  nobodysacred 18/11/07   16.   Way to Go Israel 16:59  |  Abe 18/11/07   17.   PA Retraction 17:05  |  Jeff Northridge 18/11/07   18.   #14 - you are right but for the wrong reason . 17:13  |  redmike 18/11/07   19.   nobodysacred but Ckickfool :) 17:18  |  17 18/11/07   20.   Palestinians and Islam 17:34  |  Gilad 18/11/07   21.   The quislings are running scared! 17:39  |  lakshmi 18/11/07   22.   #13 Voice of Moshiach 17:53  |  Yonatan 18/11/07   23.   #13 To the so-called VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 17:55  |  Worshipper 18/11/07   24.   #15 17:56  |  Moshe 18/11/07   25.   #8 18:01  |  Moshe 18/11/07   26.   This is rumour mill 18:04  |  Outsider 18/11/07   27.   Peace- NOT 18:09  |  ChanahS 18/11/07   28.   ONLY G-D IS THE OWNER OF THIS LAND...... 18:44  |  WARRIOR 18/11/07   29.   Simple facts 19:26  |  Gee 18/11/07   30.   Haaretz staff - can you post my response of a few hours ago 19:28  |  Smadar 18/11/07   31.   Well Haaretz...how about calling Erekat? 19:31  |  Dutch Dirk 18/11/07   32.   lakshmi - do you post in the presence of male relative? 19:34  |  17 18/11/07   33.   What alternative did the Palestinians have? 19:41  |  Mark Lincoln 18/11/07   34.   Settlement Freeze 19:53  |  Bill 18/11/07   35.   A feature for the black widow 20:03  |  Chaim Gorenstein 18/11/07   36.   If Palestinians Reject Israel as a Jewish State 20:19  |  Dagma 18/11/07   37.   annapolis a success 20:45  |  marcel 18/11/07   38.   arabs withdraw from document 21:05  |  Geroge 18/11/07   39.   #29, very true, reason is they are muslims 21:24  |  Johnny 18/11/07   40.   We do weddings and bar mitzvahs! 21:41  |  Irving Wiesen 18/11/07   41.   Palestinian State will be Moslem and Christian. 21:49  |  Palestinian Brit 18/11/07   42.   Palestinians - Skip Annapolis, Declare Your State 23:34  |  Eli 18/11/07   43.   Cast not pearls before paleswine 23:39  |  Azohun Vey 18/11/07   44.   #35 LOL 23:50  |  Thanks 18/11/07   45.   So, let the Palestinians "drop out of all deals set for joint 00:34  |  Student 19/11/07   46.   when have they kept one agreement? 03:00  |  R 19/11/07   47.   This is a standard well known Arab negotiation & pressure tactic! 04:32  |  Genuine Tosefta 19/11/07   48.   20 Gilad Pal Basic Law says It is an Islamic State 04:51  |  Rob 19/11/07

Today Online French FM: France is not ruling out a military strike on Iran Responses: 231 Gideon Levy: The settlements - Israel's most criminal venture Responses: 174 Zvi Bar'el: The Annapolis summit is over before it began Responses: 82 Livni: Palestinian state is the solution for Israeli Arabs too Responses: 161 Report: War probe panel to blame PM for 33 troop deaths Responses: 62 Rosner's Domain New Guest: On anti-Israel attitudes on contemporary campuses Immediate projects needed to bolster Abbas (WTR) Poll: Should Israel "get used" to the Iranian bomb? The Democrats and Iran: Best and worst lines (Factor) More Headlines 04:23 Annapolis meet may end without joint declaration 00:44 Gazan dies of cancer after being refused entrance into Israel 02:28 Panel nixes giving health care to children with no legal status 04:20 Olmert and Barak hint at desire to renew talks with Syria 03:43 German rejects request to reopen talks on reparations deal 04:48 Survey: Majority of Americans are still strong supporters of Israel 03:05 FM Livni's remark on Palestinian state angers Arab MKs 22:37 J'lem court extends remand of alleged U.S. pedophile by 9 days 21:30 Teachers' union talks with treasury end without result Previous Editions Select Day 18 nov 16 nov 15 nov 14 nov 13 nov 12 nov 11 nov 09 nov 08 nov 07 nov 06 nov 05 nov

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