Saudi FM: U.S. promised peace agreement would be reached within year - Haaretz

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Tue., November 27, 2007 Kislev 17, 5768

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		George Bush meeting with Ehud Olmert in Annapolis on Monday. (AP)

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Last update - 17:49 27/11/2007

Saudi FM: U.S. promised peace agreement would be reached within year

By Haaretz Staff and News Agencies

Tags: peace talks, Israel

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said ahead of his participation in the Annapolis summit Tuesday that the United States had promised that negotiations would be concluded within a year.

Speaking to the Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Prince Saud said the Muslim kingdom had decided to attend the meeting in Annapolis because it would address core issues in the Palestinian-Israeli dispute as well as including the Syrian and Lebanese tracks.

"The important factor is the placement of a deadline for negotiations so they do not become endless and this is what the American government hosting the conference has promised, that the time period does not exceed one year," the newspaper quoted Prince Saud as saying.

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"We felt from the United States and the international Quartet [of Mideast peace negotiators] some encouraging assurances on following up the negotiations through specific mechanisms and reciprocal commitments among all the active parties," he said.

On Monday, Prince Saud said that the U.S. had offered Saudi Arabia assurances that it would offer specific proposals to help the Israelis and Palestinians forge a peace deal.

He added that in inviting his country to the Annapolis conference Washington promised to "use its full influence" to ultimately bring about a peace agreement. He said that meant if the two sides could not agree, "we assume the United States will come up with its own ideas."

The foreign minister also said Saudi Arabia would not consider establishing diplomatic relations with Israel until after Palestinian and other territorial questions are settled.

While Saudi Arabia's participation in summit was seen as a diplomatic coup for the Bush administration, al-Faisal made it clear there will be no handshakes with Israeli officials.

"We are not here for theater. We are here for the serious business of making peace. We are not here to give an impression that everything is normal," the Saudi foreign minister told reporters, on the eve of the conference.

"We will not do anything that will divert from the seriousness of the occasion, [such as] shaking hands to give an impression of something that is not there," he said.

Saudi Arabia had been noncommittal until last week over whether it would attend the Annapolis conference. The kingdom, which is the birthplace of Islam, has no diplomatic relations with Israel.

Olmert suggested he would not be offended by the lack of handshake, nor would he push the issue.

"I won't extend my hand to whoever isn't ready to shake the hand of the people of Israel," Olmert said, referring to the Saudi foreign minister. "But I am happy he is here."

Handshakes have been important symbols in past Middle East peacemaking efforts.

In 1979, when Egypt became the first of any of Israel's neighbors to sign a peace treaty with it, the deal was sealed with a handshake on the White House lawn between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and former prime minister Menachem Begin.

And in 1993, with then U.S. president Bill Clinton looking on, former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and late Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat shook hands in public for the first time.

Related links:

Rice says two-state solution in Middle East in jeopardy

Rice tells FM Livni: Summit must focus on two-state solution

IDF lifts censorship of Sept. 6 IAF strike on target inside Syria

U.S. inviting Syria to summit due to air strike

Official Annapolis conference Web site

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1.	annapolis!	01:59	\|	moisherabaynu	27/11/07

2.	Cancel Palestine, 2 states, Israel and Jordan Palestine	02:50	\|	David	27/11/07

3.	US may offer the `plan` but the Saudi wrote it.	02:55	\|	Terry	27/11/07

4.	SAUDI PEACE illusion	03:10	\|	real vision	27/11/07

5.	Plan? Or `plans?`	03:13	\|	Mark Lincoln	27/11/07

6.	regarding proposals and handshakes	05:18	\|	eric	27/11/07

7.	Arabs control of Al Quds will create a huge religious competition	06:08	\|	Joseph E .	27/11/07

8.	Saudi racists	06:35	\|	Honi	27/11/07

9.	No Hand Shaking? What!!!???	06:53	\|	Yosemite	27/11/07

10.	Khazari Zionists back to Khazaria. this is the solution	07:41	\|	KMS	27/11/07

11.	Al-Faisal: "We are not here for theatre."	07:49	\|	Cipora Julianna Kohn	27/11/07

12.	Eric#6: What Planet Do You Really Live On?	07:52	\|	LAguna Geno	27/11/07

13.	Theater or Something Else	09:39	\|	Yitz	27/11/07

14.	To Saudi I don?t give damn to shake your hand	10:23	\|	e.m	27/11/07

15.	To Saudi I don?t give damn to shake your hand	10:23	\|	e.m	27/11/07

16.	eric: the origin of the handshake	10:58	\|	Margie in Tel Aviv	27/11/07

17.	Saudi don`t understand politics.....	12:22	\|	Eric	27/11/07

18.	Lying to muslims is not lying! Good for the goose and gander !	12:46	\|	redmike	27/11/07

19.	This guy looks creepy! The saudis are at annapolis to ensure that	12:58	\|	lakshmi	27/11/07

20.	Finish in1 year ... easy	12:59	\|	kobi	27/11/07

21.	Shaking hands	13:00	\|	Chaim Gorenstein	27/11/07

22.	Lakshmi, it was Arafat who did all the damage, not the Saudis	13:52	\|	El-Birawi	27/11/07

23.	"Grumpy ol Faisel"	13:56	\|	Stephen.	27/11/07

24.	#16 - I wouldn`t shake hands with Olmert either!	14:11	\|	redmike	27/11/07

25.	Are the Israeli People going to Pray	14:45	\|	ralphsrant1	27/11/07

26.	Are the Israeli People going to Pray	14:45	\|	ralphsrant1	27/11/07

27.	peres and talks	15:30	\|	happysettler	27/11/07

28.	OF COURSE SAUDIS VOW ONE YEAR DEADLINE	16:38	\|	Natasha	27/11/07

29.	the truth is....	16:55	\|	sadsettler	27/11/07

30.	A piece for Peace....	16:57	\|	VOICE of da MOHEL)))	27/11/07

31.	Only G-d cares for Israel	17:00	\|	Petra	27/11/07

32.	You can just imagine the conversation	17:12	\|	Chris Linthwaite	27/11/07

33.	Saudi`s	17:16	\|	Dik	27/11/07

34.	In one year, Bush is kaput keep talking saying nothing	17:36	\|	Petra	27/11/07

35.	Bush Pulled It Off. Congratulations!	18:43	\|	Yosemite	27/11/07

36.	The failure will come and eventually peace will too	00:02	\|	Goldberg	28/11/07

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