WEST BANK: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pushes for core issues to be addressed in a document to be agreed on by both Israelis and Palestinians

Record ID: 560104

  • Title: WEST BANK: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pushes for core issues to be addressed in a document to be agreed on by both Israelis and Palestinians
  • Date: 16th October 2007
  • Summary: (BN09) RAMALLAH, WEST BANK (OCTOBER 15, 2007) (REUTERS) MOTORCADE CARRYING U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE ARRIVING AT MUQATA PRESIDENTIAL COMPOUND U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE GETTING OUT OF VEHICLE, GREETING SAEB EREKAT, ADVISOR TO PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT AND WAVING TO MEDIA, RICE AND EREKAT AND THEIR ENTOURAGES ENTERING MUQATA U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE SITTING WITH PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS CLOSE-UP OF ABBAS/WIDE OF MEETING U.S. DELEGATE, PAN TO RICE SHAKING HANDS WITH ABBAS
  • Embargoed: 31st October 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVADPMXKURCYHWH01A4CMPLJLQG8
  • Story Text: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pushes for core issues to be addressed in a document to be agreed on by both Israelis and Palestinians ahead of a peace summit scheduled for November.
    U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pushed on Monday (October 15) for core issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to be addressed in a document setting parameters for a Middle East conference.
    Israel had hoped to keep the pre-conference paper as vague as possible.
    "Now we are talking about a joint document that will seriously and substantively address core issues. We have come quite a long way. We've got quite a long way to go," Rice said at a joint news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
    Both Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have said they hope the conference, expected to be held next month, will be a launching point for negotiations on Palestinian statehood.
    But Olmert, who faces right-wing resistance in his cabinet, has called for a broadbrush document and rejected Abbas's calls for a timeframe for resolving thorny issues such as borders and the future of Jerusalem and millions of Palestinian refugees.
    "We are working on a joint document with the Israelis that determines the basis for resolving the final status issues such as Jerusalem, borders, settlement, refugees, security, water and common relationship,"
    Abbas said.
    Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams planned to meet later in the day to continue trying to draft the paper. Olmert has appointed Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who has cautioned against moving too quickly on core issues, as chief negotiator.
    Israel and the Palestinians failed to reach a final agreement on key aspects of their conflict in talks that collapsed in 2001 amid a surge in violence.
    Both sides have voiced concern of another outbreak of fighting should the conference fail.
    Washington is trying to lure key Arab state Saudi Arabia to attend the conference, amid calls by Riyadh for the meeting to deal with issues of substance.
    Another goal is to win more support for Abbas, who has been weakened by the take-over of the Gaza Strip in June by Hamas Islamists opposed to his peace moves with Israel.
    Rice said she would not give up trying to bridge the gaps between Israel and the Palestinians "until I've given my last ounce of energy and my last moment in office".
    Statements from Israeli and Palestinian officials after Rice began her latest visit suggested major differences remained over the joint document.
    Rice has cautioned against expecting any big breakthrough on the paper during her current trip and officials said she was likely to return to the area before the conference.
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