WORLD> Middle East
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WORLD> Middle East
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Olmert, Abbas still cling to peace deal within 2008
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-09-01 08:56 JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday agreed that the two sides still aim to reach a peace deal within 2008, local daily Ha'aretz reported. The two leaders met in the early afternoon in Jerusalem for the second time since probes-plagued Olmert announced on July 30 that he would not contend in the upcoming primary of his ruling Kadima party and would resign upon the election of his successor.
PLEDGE TO CONTINUE TALKS FOR PEACE DEAL WITHIN 2008 During the meeting, the pair pledged to continue the negotiations for a peace pact by the end of this year, as they promised at a U.S.-hosted peace conference at Annapolis last November when they resumed the long-stalled peace talks, according to the report. Admitting that considerable gaps still remain between the two sides, Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said after the meeting that significant progress has been made in the talks, but he did not elaborate. Prior to the summit, which is likely to be their final gathering before the Kadima party elections on Sept. 17, Ha'aretz reported that Olmert would seek to convince the Palestinian leader to accept an agreement of principles which would represent a framework for a two-state solution. Central in Olmert's proposal is that a five-year timetable be set out for the two sides to complete a settlement on the final status of Jerusalem under an international umbrella, which means to delay the substantive talks on the subject to the future, said the report. However, local news service Ynet reported that Israeli sources in Olmert's office categorically denied that the premier bid for an interim agreement in the meeting. A senior official was quoted as saying that the only thing discussed was "a full agreement by the end of 2008." Despite lowering expectations for the Annapolis pledge, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also said last week during her seventh visit to the hot spot since the Annapolis conference that progress is being made, and that the sides still "have a good chance of" striking a peace deal within the year. Olmert and Abbas last met on Aug. 6, and during the meeting Israel announced to release more Palestinian prisoners as a goodwill gesture to bolster Abbas and the peace efforts. Following the return of some 200 prisoners last week, Abbas said there would be no peace without the release of all the over 11,000 prisoners. OLMERT UNDER FIRE Hours before the summit, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, a front-runner to replace Olmert, reiterated her concern over Olmert's attempt to fast-track the negotiations. She told a weekly cabinet meeting that Israel should rush into premature deals under the time pressure. "We must not let the pressures of time force us to make the mistakes of trying to bridge the gaps in way that will lead to a collapse or of making critical concessions just to get to a result," local daily The Jerusalem Post quoted her as saying. Earlier this month, the top Israeli diplomat warned that "any attempt to bridge gaps which might be premature to bridge or any attempt to reach something which is not the comprehensive agreement we want to reach" can lead to clashes, misunderstandings and violence. Also during the cabinet meeting, Public Security Minister Avi Dichter, another candidate to replace Olmert, slammed Olmert for negotiating with the Palestinians without the backing of his ministers and for not keeping them updated, said the report. Meanwhile, Dichter expressed his concern over the document Olmert was seeking to sign, particularly in light of the fact that the prime minister was likely to end his term in two weeks, while Abbas may be replaced in four months, added the report. Dichter's remarks echoed those of Labor, Trade and Industry Minister Eli Yishai, who told Army Radio before the cabinet meeting that he was getting most of the details about the peace talks from the media. The chairman of the Shas Party in the ruling coalition also argued that Olmert had no legal or moral right to sign any agreement with the Palestinians, "particularly not those concerning Jerusalem." |
