|
Palestinian and Israeli leaders prepare to attend Annapolis without joint document
Ma'an Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will head to the Annapolis peace conference next week without the "joint document" that they have been working to draft throughout the fall, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday.Abbas' political advisor, Nimir Hammad, said both sides will go to the conference with their own sets of demands. In light of the failure to reach a joint document, Hammad expressed his pessimism about the outcome of the conference. He said, "Going without a document resembles going to a meeting without one's clothes." A series of meetings between Palestinian and Israeli negotiating teams since September were supposed to yield a document that would be the basis for negotiations at the US-backed conference. Hammad also said that Abbas will receive the long-awaited formal invitation to the conference in the coming hours. Negotiators met one last time this afternoon, in a last ditch effort to draft a document. Territory and security "The Israelis still insist on their demands and refuse to end the occupation of the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967. They also insist on the implementation of the Road Map plan's articles and on disarmament of the Palestinian factions including those in Gaza Strip," Hammad said. Hammad was referring to the Quartet-sponsored Road Map peace plan, which requires both sides to take initial concrete steps towards peace. The Palestinian Authority has already sent its forces to crack down on armed groups in the West Bank. The government, led by Abbas' Fatah faction, has no power in the Gaza Strip, which is governed by Hamas. With regard to the possibility that Syria might boycott the conference, Hammad said, "The absence of any country is unjustifiable, specifically if that country has occupied territories." He called on all Arab states to attend the meeting, even in light of today's setback. Hammad said the Palestinian negotiating team will demand a final settlement to the conflict in accordance with UN resolutions. He said the Palestinian side would "show the world which side does not want peace," referring to the Israelis. Posted by: Fred 2007-11-21 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=208452 |