[NYTr] Bush's Arab Pals Twist Arms to Boost Attendance at Annapolis "Peace Conference"

Thu Nov 22 18:03:34 EST 2007

[AP claims Egypt and Jordan were joined by "the Palestinians" in urging
reluctant Arab participation at this bad joke of a "peace" conference
Bush, Rice, et al. are promoting.  "THE Palestianians?"  Which
Palestinians are those?  Five or six grafs into this piece we learn
it's Abbas. -NY Transfer]

AP via Yahoo - Nov 22, 2007
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071122/ap_on_re_mi_ea/mideast_conference

Arabs urged to back Mideast conference

By MAGGIE MICHAEL
Associated Press Writer

Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinians sought Thursday to persuade
skeptical Arab nations to attend a U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace
conference, insisting it could open the door to a Palestinian state in
the next year. Saudi Arabia and Syria remain the most important
holdouts.

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak held a mini-summit with the leaders of
Jordan and the Palestinians in this Red Sea resort, bringing together
the strongest Arab supporters of next week's conference in Annapolis,
Md.

So far, Saudi Arabia and Syria have appeared unconvinced the conference
will bring significant peace commitments from Israel. The Saudis want a
firm timetable for negotiations on the important issues of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while the Syrians are pressing for
Annapolis to address the Israeli-held Golan Heights.

Late Thursday, foreign ministers and two ambassadors from countries on
the Arab League's peace initiative committee began informal meetings in
Cairo. The talks are expected to chisel a unified Arab stand on the
Annapolis conference that would be endorsed Friday at an official
League meeting.

Egypt insisted Thursday that Annapolis could mark a major breakthrough.

Mubarak's spokesman Suleiman Awad said the Bush administration was
"achieving progress that will pave the way to the establishment of the
two states and an independent Palestinian state within the next year
and before the end of Bush's term."

"This is a commitment for a timetable that we hear for the first time,"
he told reporters as Mubarak, Jordan's King Abdullah II and Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas met. He said the three leaders agree that "the
conference gives a large space for optimism."

Awad said Annapolis would launch "serious peace negotiations according
to a timetable and with an agreed upon follow-up mechanism" — all top
demands of Saudi Arabia.

The United States is pushing for Saudi Arabia, which unlike Jordan and
Egypt has no peace agreement or diplomatic relations with Israel, to
send its foreign minister. President Bush spoke Tuesday by telephone
with Saudi King Abdullah.

The kingdom remained noncommittal. Crown Prince Sultan said he wished
the conference success and that the kingdom's decision will "take into
consideration the current circumstances," the Saudi state news agency
reported.

Saudi Arabia is concerned that the conference will corner it into a
high-profile meeting with the Israelis without assurances that Israel
will address the most difficult issues of the peace process, such as
the borders of a Palestinian state, the status of east Jerusalem and
the future of millions of Palestinian refugees.

The kingdom also wants Annapolis to endorse a Saudi-sponsored Arab
peace plan that offers Israel peace with all Arab countries in return
for the return of land seized in the 1967 war.

Saudi doubts have been fueled by Israel's resistance to directly
mentioning the core issues in a joint statement the Israelis and
Palestinians hope to put out at Annapolis.

In a Nov. 17 draft of the joint statement, published Thursday in the
Israeli daily Haaretz, Israel's proposals for the language make no
mention of the main issues and avoid any talk of a timetable for
negotiations. The draft shows wide differences with the Palestinian
proposals, and it is not known if subsequent negotiations have
succeeded in narrowing them.

At a meeting with Mubarak on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
sought to reassure Arab countries, praising the Arab peace plan and
insisting negotiations launched at Annapolis will address the core
issues — even if the two-day conference does not. He also said a final
deal could be reached in 2008, though he did not commit Israel to a
timetable.