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Last update - 22:45 26/06/2008
Erekat: If Olmert, Abbas achieve peace, they'll be biggest people in Jerusalem since Jesus
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Palestinian, Olmert, Abbas 

The peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians is within reach and this is the time for tough decisions, said top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat on Thursday.

In a conference held at Tel Aviv University on the Israel-Syria peace negotiations and their influence on the Palestinians, Erekat said that if Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas succeed in striking a peace deal, they would be "the most important people in Jerusalem since Jesus walked in it."

At the conference, hosted by the Peres Center for Peace and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, was attended by the head of the Israel-Syria peace movement Alon Liel and former Meretz Chairman Yossi Beilin.
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Erekat told the conference that only six months remain to hammer out the peace accord. Referring to ongoing negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian teams in recent months, he said "these are serious and long-term talks which aim to achieve an agreement that will be one total package that includes all the issues."

"There are solutions to all the issues, all that is required is decisions," Erekat added.

Addressing the recently relaunched indirect talks between Israel and Syrian, the Palestinian negotiator said that he encourages the sides to achieve an accord, because such a deal would be in agreement with Palestinian interests. However, he went on to say, he did not believe the negotiations were serious enough because he did not see the United States joining the talks in the near future.

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      1.   Arabs talk so much BS that they eventually believe it! 22:49  |  Moses 26/06/08
      2.   I`m sure Olmert will like the compliment 23:03  |  Moshe Benzaquen 26/06/08
      3.   Moses: They always talk by their third mouth 23:11  |  JP 26/06/08
      4.   GUESS WHO TAUGHT THEM?? 23:15  |  HAIM 26/06/08
      5.   But don`t forget Father Christmas 23:16  |  redmike 26/06/08
      6.   The pali solution - top ten list 23:19  |  Arie 26/06/08
      7.   Ha-le-vai..... 23:23  |  Esther 26/06/08
      8.   speeches like this are aimed at Olmerts ego 23:28  |  zionist forever 26/06/08
      9.   Dream on 23:56  |  Mary 26/06/08
      10.   Erekat is a big mouth 23:57  |  Marcello 26/06/08
      11.   Jesus was biggest in Bet Lehem , not in Jerusalem 00:00  |  Sal 27/06/08
      12.   yoshka who? 00:17  |  Kenneth 27/06/08
      13.   Jews talk so much BS that they eventually believe it! 00:23  |  Andreas 27/06/08
      14.   Cautious Optimism 00:29  |  ERSB 27/06/08
      15.   We have a duty... 00:40  |  Joe 27/06/08
      16.   Haaretzis talk so much BS that they eventually believe it! 00:41  |  Andreas 27/06/08
      17.   If Jerusalem is off the table then there can be a peace deal 00:43  |  Dish It Out 27/06/08
      18.   The Only Solution Is....... 00:44  |  Mordechai 27/06/08
      19.   Oh, oh..Yoel Marcus will have a field day with that comment.. 01:02  |  Smadar 27/06/08
      20.   weren`t the Beatles bigger than Jesus? 01:05  |  Richard S 27/06/08
      21.   Bad Analogy 02:13  |  Mark of Lewiston 27/06/08
      22.   The peace accord.... is within reach,... 02:52  |  Akiva P 27/06/08
      23.   IF MERT IS NOT OUSTED ISAREL CAN KISS TOURISM GOOD BYE IT WILL BE 03:05  |  glenna 27/06/08
      24.   Olmert has a messiah Complex 03:14  |  Ralph L:evy 27/06/08
      25.   Erakat, what is required is that for once Arabs compromise 03:18  |  McQueen 27/06/08
      26.   Olmert and Abbas should read up on Jesus, He not only has the 03:32  |  answers... 27/06/08
      27.   There IS Peace, in Jesus Name [Word]. There is, there is 03:34  |  There is!!! 27/06/08
      28.   SOME IMPORTANT CROOKS 04:38  |  indrajaya 27/06/08
      29.   WE HAVE NO NEED FOR ABBAS, OLMERT, AS WE DIDN`T NEED JESUS EITHER 05:32  |  david 27/06/08
      30.   Olmert is the biggest friend of the Fatah terrorists since Arafat 06:27  |  ROB GOTTESMAN 27/06/08
      31.   Jesus uncovered crooks with envelopes, Olmert created them 07:06  |  Simon 27/06/08
      32.   ALMOST 08:03  |  NEIL GOLAN 27/06/08
      33.   Nothing can be agreed without Hamas 09:23  |  Clickfool 27/06/08
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