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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. (Tess Scheflan)
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Last update - 14:39 02/12/2007
Olmert: No firm timetable for peace talks with Palestinians
By Haaretz Service and Reuters
Tags: Olmert, Palestinians 

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday played down expectations for a peace deal with the Palestinians before the end of 2008 as laid out at a U.S.-sponsored peace conference last week.

"We will make an effort to hold speedy negotiations in the hope we may conclude by the end of 2008, but certainly there is no commitment for a firm timetable for their completion," Olmert said at the start of Sunday's cabinet meeting.

U.S. President George W. Bush assured Israeli and Palestinian leaders at the conference in Annapolis, Maryland, that Washington would actively engage in peacemaking, despite deep skepticism over chances for a deal before he leaves office.
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Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met Bush to launch the first formal peace talks in seven years at the conference and agreed to try and reach a deal on Palestinian statehood by the end of next year. But, speaking at Israel's first cabinet meeting since Annapolis, Olmert urged caution.

In an apparent hint to right-wing coalition partners that he was not planning concessions without a reciprocal move from the Palestinians, Olmert said any progress in the peace process would depend on adhering to commitments under a long-stalled U.S. peace "road map."

"The most important thing in the joint statement is that ... any agreement that we reach in the future will be dependent on completion of all road map commitments.

"In other words, Israel will not have to implement any commitment which emanates from the agreement before all the road map commitments have been met," he said.

The 2003 U.S. road map provides benchmarks that include a Palestinian crackdown on terrorism, as well as a freeze of Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank.

Stressing the Palestinian obligation to act against militants, the prime minister said of the road map: "I think that this is very important and assures the security component, which is ? in our view, and in any eventuality and under any condition ? the most important issue that we are dealing with."

Olmert's comments came after the United States withdrew a draft United Nations resolution endorsing action agreed at Annapolis - a document Israeli officials said they felt was inappropriate.

Although Israel apparently had no problems with the uncontroversial text, analysts suggested it was worried a formal resolution would get the UN too involved in Middle East peace efforts.

Skeptics say Bush's time scale for peacemaking is too ambitious, especially given both Olmert and Abbas are politically weak.

The prime minister's popularity has been hurt by corruption allegations and last year's Second Lebanon war, and faces resistance to concessions from some right-wing members of his coalition.

Abbas' Fatah movement was ousted from the Gaza Strip by Hamas in June.


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      1.   geez, how unexpected 14:06  |  Leona 02/12/07
      2.   Jewish Values.... 14:52  |  POP 02/12/07
      3.   The show (Annapolis) is over. Everything is back to normal. 14:55  |  Sam 02/12/07
      4.   POP-Israeli Arabs tremble they will be sent to live under Pals 15:16  |  Sam 02/12/07
      5.   For those who fell for it 15:18  |  Mark Lincoln 02/12/07
      6.   jewish values II 15:22  |  bashar 02/12/07
      7.   Palestinians have no peace partner--What,s new 15:23  |  Labhras 02/12/07
      8.   Pal demands are unacceptable- Jews have gone back to sleep 15:45  |  Sam 02/12/07
      9.   The morning after the kissing-hugging party.... 15:51  |  Esther 02/12/07
      10.   F+ FOR ANNAPOLIS 16:14  |  Zoi 02/12/07
      11.   Panic 16:55  |  Marc 02/12/07
      12.   Wonderful that only Olmert & Bush to blame, Abbas innocent 17:21  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 02/12/07
      13.   Cancel Dec. 12 session until PA accepts UN`s "Jewish State" 17:38  |  Dr. L. Brnd 02/12/07
      14.   The Arabs must make very painful concessions for real peace! 17:42  |  Uzi 02/12/07
      15.   Palestinian Values 17:43  |  Steve 02/12/07
      16.   There can never be separate Arab polity west of the Jordan! 17:43  |  Uzi 02/12/07
      17.   Sam: Jewish Canadians Fear the thought of living in Israel...!! 17:43  |  POP 02/12/07
      18.   Equitable & practical Partition Plan that may work for a change: 17:45  |  Uzi 02/12/07
      19.   #1 Leona 17:47  |  * BEN JABO 02/12/07
      20.   Olmert:No firm timetable 17:47  |  Sam Popack 02/12/07
      21.   Sam: "Jewish" Israel wants to deport it`s citizens based on...... 17:49  |  POP 02/12/07
      22.   #7 labarse wakes up in boston looking for tea! 17:54  |  victor hardman 02/12/07
      23.   #18 uzi " many a slip twixt cup and lip 17:56  |  victor hardman 02/12/07
      24.   I would hope that Olmert and the government 18:00  |  Avner 02/12/07
      25.   #12 so called peacemaker margie in ta 18:19  |  Labhras 02/12/07
      26.   #22 Victor Paul Harrisman 18:25  |  Labhras 02/12/07
      27.   12 Margie - As I Understand It 18:48  |  Mark of Lewiston 02/12/07
      28.   13 Dr. L. Brnd - A Simple Question 18:53  |  Mark of Lewiston 02/12/07
      29.   POP - North American Aliyah in 2005 18:55  |  David Israel 02/12/07
      30.   #1 Leona My Typos revised 18:56  |  * BEN JABO 02/12/07
      31.   Mark & the process 19:19  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 02/12/07
      32.   Well the Show is Over 19:24  |  Moshe 02/12/07
      33.   #28 Mark, your two simple questions 20:25  |  Dr. L. Brnd 02/12/07
      34.   #26labarse cracks some irish jokes 20:58  |  victor hardman 02/12/07
      35.   POP- Jewish Canadians like Canada too 21:02  |  Sam 02/12/07
      36.   #31 So called peacemaker Margie in Ta 21:05  |  Labhras 02/12/07
      37.   # 34 Victorpaul harrisman 21:17  |  Labhras 02/12/07
      38.   bring in Jordanian Border Police to Umm el Fahm and like Arab 21:17  |  ehud 02/12/07
      39.   PALS are War Mongers 21:27  |  Languna Geno 02/12/07
      40.   31 Margie - At Some Point 23:34  |  Mark of Lewiston 02/12/07
      41.   36 Labhras 23:59  |  Mark of Lewiston 02/12/07
      42.   #21 POP goes the Weasel again 03:10  |  * BEN JABO 03/12/07
      43.   Esther #9 09:42  |  S 03/12/07
      44.   31 Margie in Tel Aviv 18:02  |  Space 03/12/07
      45.   #44 Space 23:07  |  * BEN JABO 03/12/07
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