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Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz. (Ofer Vaknin)
Last update - 23:28 12/01/2008
U.S. official: American road map monitors will report, not judge
By Mazal Mualem and Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondents and Haaretz Service
Tags: Ehud Olmert, Mahmoud Abbas 

Three U.S. generals will monitor Israeli and Palestinian compliance with the road map for peace, but won't act as judges, a senior U.S. official said Saturday.

The same sources also said that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice plans frequent Mideast trips as the sides attempt to fulfill their objective of reaching a peace deal by the end of 2008.

Negotiations on core issues - borders, Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees - are to begin in coming days. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed on the eve of President George W. Bush's visit to the region to instruct their negotiating teams to hold talks on those issues.
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According to the deal, which was first reported in Haaretz earlier this week, all the core issues in the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians for a final status agreement will be discussed in a special committee headed by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and former Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qureia.

Such talks were to have started immediately after a U.S.-hosted Mideast conference in November, but the sides got bogged down quickly in recriminations over Israeli construction in East Jerusalem and criticism over Palestinian security performance.

Under the arrangement outlined Saturday by the senior U.S. official, Qureia and Livni would from now on be shielded from distractions and be left to focus on the core issues.

Instead, a three-way committee headed by Lt. Gen. William M. Fraser III, a U.S. air force general, will now deal with grievances, mainly noncompliance with the road map peace plan, which requires Israel to freeze settlement building and the Palestinians to disarm militants.

However, the general's mandate falls short of that of a judge, said the U.S. official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.

Fraser, 55, who has accompanied Rice on many of her foreign trips, will send his findings back to Washington, the official said. "The judging... would be done at a higher level," he said.

"Sometimes we will do that in private with the parties, sometimes in public," he added.

The general will be based in Washington, but will make frequent trips to the region. He accompanied Bush and Rice on their trip earlier this week, and is expected back in two weeks, the official said.

The U.S. official said Fraser's committee "allows us to have a structured conversation, with a three-star general on our side, who has got experience in security, listening to both sides... and then allowing important judgments to be made in Washington."

Government spokesman Mark Regev said that Israel "accepts the U.S. monitoring role and is committed to meeting its road map obligations." Under the U.S.-backed road map for peace, Israel must halt settlement construction. But Israel insists this does not refer to construction in East Jerusalem, which it annexed after the 1967 Six-Day War but which Palestinians claim for their future capital.

Fraser is the latest addition to what has become a trio of U.S. generals involved in Mideast talks.

During the November peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, the Bush administration appointed former NATO commander James Jones, a retired Marine Corps general, as a security envoy.

Jones, also based in Washington, will participate in talks on security arrangements in a final peace deal, such as the possible deployment of foreign forces and drawing defensible borders for Israel.

The veteran in the group is Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton, who is helping train and equip the Palestinian security forces. Initially, Dayton was dispatched after the Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip in September 2005, and was to help beef up the Palestinian side of border crossings between Gaza and Israel. That assignment was canceled by the violent Hamas takeover of Gaza in June.

The U.S. official said Rice will also visit frequently this year to check on progress. He noted that the secretary visited the region eight times in 2007, and that he expected a similar intensity in 2008. Bush said he'd be back at least once, for Israel's 60th birthday, and perhaps more often.

However, critics said it's still not enough.

Mofaz calls for an interim PA state before final peace accord

Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz said Saturday Israel should reach an agreement with the Palestinian Authority on an interim state before signing a final peace deal.

Mofaz, a former defense minister and Israel Defense Forces chief of staff, said that the interim deal should grant a provisional Palestinian state temporary borders, and should not include a settlement on two of the core issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: the fate of Jerusalem and the Palestinian refugees.


"This kind of agreement would not include the issues of the refugees and Jerusalem," he said, "but would guarantee a Palestinian state with temporary borders. An immediate move toward a final status agreement will only postpone the process and delay it."

The transportation minister was speaking at a conference hosted by the Geneva Initiative, a peace proposal that was launched in 2003 by prominent Israeli and Palestinian politicians.

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      1.   Great Idea but I doubt the Pals will accept 17:04  |  Robert 12/01/08
      2.   Good Joke Mofaz, DREAM ON! 17:13  |  Palestinian 12/01/08
      3.   Delay V Decision 17:36  |  Mark of Lewiston 12/01/08
      4.   More half ass measures from Mr. Mofaz 17:42  |  Dutch 12/01/08
      5.   pals will never or maybe never agree w. jews 17:46  |  bozhidar balkas 12/01/08
      6.   abbas has aalready said no to this on several 17:48  |  victor hardman 12/01/08
      7.   mofaz the one 17:48  |  golani 12/01/08
      8.   backpeddling? 17:58  |  avi 12/01/08
      9.   Transportation Minister`s Lecturing? 18:02  |  Noam 12/01/08
      10.   A Foolish Idea 18:04  |  Moshe 12/01/08
      11.   Why temporary borders? What`s the point of that? 18:04  |  Natallie Durson 12/01/08
      12.   #6 Mofaz 18:17  |  Fred Locke 12/01/08
      13.   borders 18:29  |  Space 12/01/08
      14.   Mofaz needs more time to steal more land 18:35  |  A Bethlehemite 12/01/08
      15.   Another degenerate , that just looks to be exterminated 18:48  |  Sal 12/01/08
      16.   #4 real smart man calling himself "Dutch" 19:09  |  Mark 12/01/08
      17.   Wow I find myself agreeing with Victor! 6 19:15  |  Michael 12/01/08
      18.   Geneva Initiative - ancient buried hatchet . 19:16  |  Noam 12/01/08
      19.   An Interim state is not in the interest of Israel 19:25  |  Altalena 12/01/08
      20.   MOFAZ 19:25  |  Anne 12/01/08
      21.   no 1..robert...the pals better not agree 19:25  |  ravi 12/01/08
      22.   Easy to see through 19:40  |  Axel 12/01/08
      23.   Right of Return numbers = Number of Settlers 19:52  |  Tim 12/01/08
      24.   Neither Jews nor Arabs will accept it. Case closed. 20:11  |  Chaim 12/01/08
      25.   WHAT MOFAZ DOESN`T KNOW (OR DOESN`T UNDERSTAND) 20:16  |  G. Marcus 12/01/08
      26.   The Point is to finally cut the umbilical cord and let go 20:31  |  AliciaYasmeen 12/01/08
      27.   Tim 20:36  |  Iz Ray Leigh 12/01/08
      28.   ISRAEL TRANSPORT MINISTERS ASLO DECLARE TERROR STATES? I THOUGHT 20:44  |  Alon -Chiloni 12/01/08
      29.   Mofaz isn`t talkng to Abbas 21:20  |  Avi 12/01/08
      30.   Road Map is an unconstitutional act against religion 21:23  |  sam 12/01/08
      31.   In other words, they won`t pressure Israel = No peace deal. 21:32  |  peacelover 12/01/08
      32.   One problem Tim #23 21:37  |  Avi 12/01/08
      33.   re Tim #23 `Right of return...` 21:48  |  Colin Wright 12/01/08
      34.   # 6 your pals have a death culture. Mothers send kids to die... 21:51  |  Alon chiloni 12/01/08
      35.   Where we`re headed. 21:53  |  Colin Wright 12/01/08
      36.   THE BIBLE FORBIDS PAL MURDERERS TO LIVE ON HER SOIL 21:56  |  James Charters 12/01/08
      37.   Rice plans frequent trips? Bush will return in May/ 22:02  |  Natallie Durson 12/01/08
      38.   #16 Mark dutch is the pen name of doris cadigan 22:07  |  v hardman 12/01/08
      39.   Is Dutch negotiating on behalf of the Pals? Would recommend she 22:18  |  Marabu 12/01/08
      40.   29 - why would anybody talk to Abbas? 22:24  |  redmike 12/01/08
      41.   The whole article is so vague with loopholes. 22:24  |  Stephen. 12/01/08
      42.   #31 - "peace deal" you are completely out of touch 22:29  |  redmike 12/01/08
      43.   #19 Altalena new to ME affairs????. 23:06  |  Labhras 12/01/08
      44.   #37 nutullie and more crap ! perhaps condi is afraid abbas 23:13  |  v hardman 12/01/08
      45.   Temporary state is not a solution 00:39  |  Frank 13/01/08
      46.   in case some of backtlkrs have`n seen the 00:51  |  bozhidar balks 13/01/08
      47.   BRING MOFAZ TO JUSTICE 01:25  |  indrajaya 13/01/08
      48.   #43 Victor Hardman ...Remember how.GWB.. 01:42  |  Stephen. 13/01/08
      49.   #23 Tim 02:19  |  * BEN JABO 13/01/08
      50.   #46 Indy. Does M.Dahlan take orders.? 02:20  |  Stephen. 13/01/08
      51.   #37 NUT allie Durson 02:23  |  * BEN JABO 13/01/08
      52.   #36 James 02:29  |  American 13/01/08
      53.   Bush`s Visit 02:41  |  Abe 13/01/08
      54.   #52 American ?? 06:01  |  * BEN JABO 13/01/08
      55.   30 Sam - Suggestion 09:12  |  Mark of Lewiston 13/01/08
      56.   #52 Ben Jabo Etc, etc... 01:11  |  American 14/01/08
      57.   #56 American ?? 22:37  |  * BEN JABO 14/01/08
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