Summary
[Ehud Olmert] told his Kadima leaders on Sunday that the purpose of the Washington Conference is to endorse a "declaration of intent" that he is negotiating with [Mahmoud Abbas]. In contrast, the Palestinian leader is insisting on a binding agreement on "principles for an Israeli-Palestinian peace," with a clear timetable for implementation.
What complicates this unbridgeable divide are the positions of the leading moderate Arab nations. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan are reported to be reluctant to participate in a conference that would not set a clear timetable for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and set a "target date" for the establishment of a Palestinian state in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.Both Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak and Saudi King Abdullah told [Khaled Mash]'al that they consider Abbas to be the "legitimate leader" of the Palestinian people and that Hamas should accept Salam Fayad as the prime minister for both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.See the full content of this document
Extract
Pessimism Prevails Over Washington Conference
Samuel Segev
TEL AVIV -- Two months before the planned Washington Conference, it is still unclear whether it will be convened, who will participate and what its agenda will include.While the Israeli airstrike against a still officially unconfirmed and unidenti...See the full content of this document
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