Syria, Saudi Arabia among invitees to peace summit - Haaretz

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Wed., November 21, 2007 Kislev 11, 5768

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		Israel and Palestinian leaders on Monday in a pre-summit meeting. (AP)

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Last update - 22:49 20/11/2007

Syria, Saudi Arabia among invitees to peace summit

By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent, and News Agencies

Tags: Ehud Olmert, road map

Syria and Saudi Arabia are among more than 40 countries, groups of nations, financial and other institutions and individuals that the United States is inviting to a Middle East peace conference it will host next week. (Click here for a partial list of invitees.)

U.S. embassies in the invited countries and diplomats accredited to the non-sovereign entities were to be notified as early as Tuesday to request the presence of their host governments at the foreign minister or other appropriate level, according to officials familiar with the process.

Israel and the Palestinian Authority both confirmed Tuesday that they had received a formal invitation.

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"President [Mahmoud] Abbas has received a formal invitation from U.S. President George W. Bush to attend the Annapolis conference," Nabil Abu Rudeineh, an aide to Abbas, told Reuters.

A partial list of confirmed invitees obtained by The Associated Press ahead of an official announcement expected Tuesday included an Arab League committee comprised of, among other states, Syria and Saudi Arabia.

Bush called Saudi King Abdullah on Tuesday to discuss the upcoming Middle East conference in Annapolis, Maryland, the White House said.

"The two leaders shared their views of the process that is underway between the Israelis, Palestinians and the international community," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in a statement. But he gave no indication whether Abdullah had cleared up the question of Saudi Arabia's attendance at the meeting.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Tuesday he believes Syria will attend the summit, following talks with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Sharm el-Sheikh.

Also on the list of invitees were Kuwait, Iraq, and Libya, the Vatican, the G-8 industrialized nations, China and Turkey.

The International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Organization of Islamic Conference were also invited.

Israeli, PA teams meet again in bid to bridge gaps

The Israeli and the Palestinian negotiation teams met again on Tuesday in a last-ditch effort to prepare a joint document before next week's Annapolis meeting, Israel Radio reported.

"I don't know if we can finalize the document," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told Army Radio after late night talks on Monday between the teams, led by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and former PA prime minister Ahmed Qureia, reportedly made progress.

The two sides managed to bridge a number of differences, the main agreement being that the declaration would concentrate on the process and the negotiations after the summit, and not on the core issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - the fate of Jerusalem, refugees and borders.

"There is optimism compared with recent days, and there is a good chance of reaching a mutually agreed upon text of the declaration in coming days," said an official source in Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert traveled to Sharm el-Sheikh on Tuesday to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to discuss Arab participation in the summit. Arab League foreign ministers will meet in Cairo on Thursday to debate their participation at Annapolis.

Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas met Monday for over two hours, meeting alone for part of the meeting while the rest of the time broad teams of negotiators met to discuss the joint declaration. Other issues also arose during the meeting, including the release of 441 Palestinian prisoners.

Olmert and Abbas discussed the day after Annapolis, and agreed that follow-up talks would be very intensive. Olmert told the cabinet yesterday that an agreement should be reached within a year.

Palestinian sources said that no breakthroughs or significant advances were made at a Monday meeting between Olmert and Abbas. According to the sources, the sides have not agreed on a single item in the joint declaration to be made at the end of the summit. It is possible that in the end there will be separate declarations instead, or instead a declaration with little real content concerning the issues relating to the permanent agreement between the sides.

Erekat characterized the meeting as serious and difficult. He said that the leaders exchanged new proposals during the meeting, and agreed that the negotiation teams would continue their work to try to bridge gaps.

The two leaders exchanged position papers on the open issues. Olmert, for example, proposed that the Palestinian state would exist alongside Israel, the Jewish state, with "recognized borders."

On the other side, the Palestinians demanded that the Annapolis declaration include "the Palestinian state with the borders of June 4, 1967, alongside Israel," with no mention of the term "Jewish state."

Related articles:

Balad to hold vote on whether to accept Israel as a Jewish state

Report: Annapolis summit to be followed by meeting in Moscow

Arab League to meet on summit stance as Syria mulls participation

Arab ministers to meet in Cairo ahead of Annapolis conference

PA eyes final accord within 6 months of summit

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1.	Again, Israel taking unilateral steps	05:15	\|	Jon	20/11/07

2.	Olmert thinks the Jewish State is a gold mine for sale	05:42	\|	Joseph E .	20/11/07

3.	Advice to Livni and Qureia	08:36	\|	R	20/11/07

4.	Annapolis	09:19	\|	Avraham	20/11/07

5.	Limiting the Peace to the US elections is the ONLY way	09:19	\|	Ivar	20/11/07

6.	Livni vs Qurei	09:32	\|	Roland	20/11/07

7.	Thank you, Ivar.	09:40	\|	Giles Martin	20/11/07

8.	MOSHIACH WARNING: PA TALKS WILL RESULT IN CASUALTIES! STOP TALKS)	09:54	\|	VOICE of MOSHIACH)))	20/11/07

9.	RETAKE GAZA NOW, NEGOTIATE TERMS OF SURRENDER LATER)))	10:03	\|	VOICE of MOSHIACH)))	20/11/07

10.	Olmert - "agreement should be reached within a year".	12:20	\|	redmike	20/11/07

11.	#5 - sorry but you have no understanding of Islam!	12:23	\|	redmike	20/11/07

12.	Redmike, I read the article, and find it wanting	12:48	\|	Ivar	20/11/07

13.	fatah already signed on white papers for money	13:27	\|	kad	20/11/07

14.	however will olmert be here in 2008?	13:49	\|	victor hardman	20/11/07

15.	For those who hope for peace from Olmert/Abbas	14:08	\|	S	20/11/07

16.	Israel the victim	16:29	\|	Fed up	20/11/07

17.	to "Fed Up"	17:24	\|	J	20/11/07

18.	Quite a bridge	18:39	\|	Minister	20/11/07

19.	shouldnt it be the PLO?	20:06	\|	SD	20/11/07

20.	Going nowhere--again!	20:33	\|	Webster	20/11/07

21.	#17 J	21:09	\|	Fed up	20/11/07

22.	The old quisling being `invited` to the Conference! How low has	21:14	\|	lakshmi	20/11/07

23.	How ridiculous. Iran in freefall, Pakistan out of control	22:00	\|	rob	20/11/07

24.	The Saudis are the MAIN exporters of terror	22:03	\|	American Christian	20/11/07

25.	THE FRIGHTENING OPINION OF IVAR	22:05	\|	Brant	20/11/07

26.	TONY KUSHNER: ?I WISH MODERN ISRAEL HADN?T BEEN BORN"	22:08	\|	Sam (UK)	20/11/07

27.	Parachute "Voice of Moshiach))))" onto Gaza first.	22:20	\|	Fortuna Benmayor	20/11/07

28.	At Annapolis Conference , Bush Will Again Speak of Road Map	22:32	\|	Joseph E .	20/11/07

29.	If Vatican and OIC, why not the Jewish Organizations?	22:32	\|	Fortuina Benmayor	20/11/07

30.	To J.	22:36	\|	Sam	20/11/07

31.	Glaring omissions	22:41	\|	Ramzi, a Palestinian	20/11/07

32.	#21 - Fed up	22:46	\|	bg	20/11/07

33.	Perfidious State Department+39 countries against Israel	00:04	\|	Absolute Sweden	21/11/07

34.	Fatah-Controlled TV Promises Elimination of Israel	00:06	\|	Joseph E .	21/11/07

35.	Why is Israel going to Annapolis?	00:07	\|	Sam	21/11/07

36.	Ivar, strange comments	00:12	\|	Sam	21/11/07

37.	Minister in Glasgow	00:21	\|	Sam	21/11/07

38.	#11	00:40	\|	fred	21/11/07

39.	#26 SAM (uk)	18:24	\|	* BEN JABO	21/11/07

40.	#11 Fred - Fl	18:31	\|	*BEN JABO	21/11/07

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