Palestinian demand hits peace process
Middle East peace plans stalled again today after the chief Palestinian negotiator insisted there would be no talks with Israel until a deadline was set for establishing an independent state.
Palestinians have repeatedly said they want a detailed schedule for talks that are expected to begin after a US-sponsored Middle East conference in November or December. But although Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has consistently resisted the notion of a deadline, they had never before made the matter a condition for talks.
Today lead negotiator Ahmed Qureia made his demand clear: “The Israeli prime minister has stated that he will not accept a timetable, and we say we will not accept negotiations without a timetable.”
He delivered the ultimatum as the two sides struggled to bridge gaps ahead of the peace summit.
In the past, deadlines for establishing a Palestinian state have been set and ignored.
No date has so far been set for the US-sponsored summit, due to take place in Annapolis, Maryland, because the two sides remain so far apart on the starting point for talks.
Israel wants a vague, joint statement of objectives. The Palestinians want a detailed outline that would address core issues that need to be resolved before peace can be achieved and a Palestinian state can be established.
These are final borders, sovereignty over disputed Jerusalem, and a solution for Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes in the war that followed Israel’s creation in 1948.
Mr Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have met several times in recent months to try to come up with a joint agreement ahead of the meeting, and negotiating teams from both sides have recently entered the process.
Today Mr Qureia indicated the talks were not going well.
“We haven’t gotten closer yet concerning the issues,” he said. “We are talking in general about the issues that should be included in the document. (But) we haven’t yet touched the core issues.”
The Palestinians want, he said, “a clear and specific document, without vagueness, that lays the basic foundation for all final status issues. Without that, the conference will be hindered.”
