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| By Israel Insider staff and partners February 19, 2007 |
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The meeting between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ended Monday afternoon with little accomplished other than an agreement to meet again.
In a brief statement that did not allow questions from the press, Rice said, "All three of us affirmed our commitment to a two-state solution, agreed that a Palestinian state cannot be born of violence and terror."
Rice also said the two leaders "reiterated their acceptance of previous agreements and obligations," including an internationally-backed road map, and said that they would meet again soon.
Rice added that the PM Olmert and President Abbas expressed their desire for American participation in order to "overcome obstacles, rally regional and international support and move forward toward peace."
'Low expectations'
Jerusalem officials said they have "low expectations" from the summit between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice which opened in the capital Monday morning.
The summit is aimed at providing support for Abbas, in the hope that the Palestinian president succeeds in getting Hamas to accept the Quartet's conditions, a senior Israeli official explained.
The Quartet demands that the PA government recognize Israel, renounce violence and honor past agreements with Israel.
During the lunch meeting set to be held after the summit, Defense Minister Amir Peretz will present to Abbas Israel's demand for the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. Israel considers Shalit's release an additional condition for recognizing the PA, alongside the Quartet's prerequisites.
However, it is clear that at this point Abbas bears no news regarding the Israeli captive, and that the dialogue over the issue has reached a dead-end.
Peretz will also bring up the matters of the Qassam attacks from Gaza, the terror activities in the West Bank, and the smuggling of weapons from Egypt to the Gaza Strip.
In an interview with an Israeli newspaper Sunday, Rice reiterated the US' stance that the new Palestinian unity government must abide by the Quartet's conditions if it wants to obtain American recognition.
However, Rice stressed that the dialogue with Abbas must continue.
Ynetnews contributed to this article. |
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