Livni wants post-summit peace team

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is calling for the creation of a negotiations administration to handle ongoing work on core issues after the Annapolis summit scheduled for November.

The group would be charged with handling concerns with their Palestinian counterparts over the division of Jerusalem, refugees and permanent borders.

Last week Livni, Foreign Ministry Director General Aharon Abramovitch and their consultants met with several former government and military officials who took part in previous negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, particularly during Ehud Barak's tenure as prime minister.

Col. (res.) Shaul Arieli, attorney Gilad Sher, Dr. Nimrod Novick, Col. (res.) Daniel Reisner and Gidi Grinstein were among those who attended the meeting. Livni and Abramovitch focused on defining the structure and the composition and work procedures of the proposed administration. Livni and her aides are also studying the history of the negotiations - the agreements and initiatives that were never implemented, like the Geneva Initiative or the initiative championed by Ami Ayalon and Dr. Sari Nusseibeh - in an effort to see what can be borrowed from them. One of the most useful documents in this respect is likely to be the paper written by Arieli summarizing his work as head of the Peace Administration in the Barak government, now in the National Archive.

Livni, who was appointed head of the negotiating team, envisions the proposed body as supporting the team in its work, particularly on the core issues. Abramovitch is expected to submit his recommendations to Livni within a few days. One of the major problems is likely to be the physical location of the new administration. The Defense Ministry and the Prime Minister's Office are likely to oppose its being in the Foreign Ministry.

Livni's associates emphasize that figures from all of the relevant ministries, as well as the Defense Ministry, will participate in the administration, and that the intention is to recruit the best experts in every field.

One of the main challenges facing Livni will be in creating the appropriate chemistry with her Palestinian counterpart, Ahmed Qureia. The two met last week for a two-hour discussion. Livni is likely to begin consulting closely in this regard with President Shimon Peres, who is arguably Israel's No. 1 Qureia expert, with whom he worked from the very beginning of the Oslo Accords process.