Bush nudges Israelis, Palestinians toward peace
(Updates throughout)
By Mohammed Assadi and Jeffrey Heller
WASHINGTON, Nov 26 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush launched a drive to create a Palestinian state on Monday, with Israelis and Palestinians nearing agreement on a pledge to address the toughest issues of their decades-old conflict.
Fourteen months before he leaves office and facing a legacy dominated by war in Iraq, Bush began three intense days of Middle East diplomacy in separate Oval Office meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
No one predicted a breakthrough in a conflict that has outlived many a U.S. president and Middle Eastern leader.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, putting her credibility on the line, managed to assemble an array of diplomats from more than 40 countries, many of them driven by a desire to prevent Iran from becoming a dominant -- and nuclear -- power in the Middle East.
Including representatives from Saudi Arabia and Syria, the diplomats were to converge on Tuesday in Annapolis at the U.S. Naval Academy, a largely symbolic gathering that will launch formal negotiations between Olmert and Abbas, both of whom are politically weakened at home.
Bush told Olmert he looked forward to a serious dialogue with the two leaders "to see whether or not peace is possible." Bush thanked Abbas for "working hard to implement a vision for a Palestinian state."
"The United States cannot impose our vision but we can help facilitate," Bush told Abbas.
Olmert said he hoped to launch "a serious process of negotiations." "This time it is different," he said, hailing what he described as "very important" international participation in the conference.
Despite long-standing frictions, Israeli and Palestinian officials said they were close to agreement on a joint document that would outline the peace goals to follow this week's sessions.
The document will chart the course for negotiating the toughest issues of the conflict known as "final-status issues" -- Jerusalem, borders, security and Palestinian refugees.
HIGH HOPES
Abbas said during his talks with Bush: "Our hope is high that we will come out of this conference in order to begin negotiations on the 'final-status' issues, in order to reach a peace agreement between the Palestinians and the Israelis so that security and peace can prevail."
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said both sides were "converging" on a document and that Rice would meet later with the chief negotiators from each side to help work on it.
Old tensions were never far away. A senior Israeli official played down the chances of any direct talks in Annapolis -- or even an exchange of handshakes -- between Israeli and Saudi or Syrian leaders during the conference.
"They (Arab leaders) won't do it until they get something concrete from Israel," the official said on condition of anonymity.
Washington says the hard work will begin only after this week, when Israelis and Palestinians must tackle the issues at the core of the conflict.
In a reminder of the tit-for-tat violence that has caused havoc in the region for decades, a Palestinian Hamas militant was killed and four others were wounded Monday by an Israeli missile strike in the northern Gaza Strip.
In Jerusalem's Old City, at least 15,000 Israelis opposed to this week's talks gathered at the Western Wall to pray and protest against the Annapolis meeting.
Iran has condemned Annapolis as a ruse for aiding Israel.
"All politicians in the world are aware that this conference is doomed to failure," Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said a televised speech in Tehran.
The Annapolis bid follows years of failed U.S.-brokered efforts, the last by Bush's predecessor Bill Clinton, to end decades of conflict and forge a Palestinian state.
A senior aide to Abbas, Nabil Shaath, told Reuters that after Annapolis, Israelis and Palestinians would pick up from principles already agreed on during the Clinton administration.
White House national security adviser Stephen Hadley said he expected both sides to recommit to a 2003 "road map" which provides benchmarks that include a cessation of Jewish settlement in the West Bank occupied by Israel in a 1967 war as well as a Palestinian crackdown on militants. (Additional reporting by Adam Entous and Caren Bohan in Washington and Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza; Writing by Sue Pleming and Steve Holland; Editing by Howard Goller and David Storey)
By Mohammed Assadi and Jeffrey Heller
WASHINGTON, Nov 26 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush launched a drive to create a Palestinian state on Monday, with Israelis and Palestinians nearing agreement on a pledge to address the toughest issues of their decades-old conflict.
Fourteen months before he leaves office and facing a legacy dominated by war in Iraq, Bush began three intense days of Middle East diplomacy in separate Oval Office meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
No one predicted a breakthrough in a conflict that has outlived many a U.S. president and Middle Eastern leader.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, putting her credibility on the line, managed to assemble an array of diplomats from more than 40 countries, many of them driven by a desire to prevent Iran from becoming a dominant -- and nuclear -- power in the Middle East.
Including representatives from Saudi Arabia and Syria, the diplomats were to converge on Tuesday in Annapolis at the U.S. Naval Academy, a largely symbolic gathering that will launch formal negotiations between Olmert and Abbas, both of whom are politically weakened at home.
Bush told Olmert he looked forward to a serious dialogue with the two leaders "to see whether or not peace is possible." Bush thanked Abbas for "working hard to implement a vision for a Palestinian state."
"The United States cannot impose our vision but we can help facilitate," Bush told Abbas.
Olmert said he hoped to launch "a serious process of negotiations." "This time it is different," he said, hailing what he described as "very important" international participation in the conference.
Despite long-standing frictions, Israeli and Palestinian officials said they were close to agreement on a joint document that would outline the peace goals to follow this week's sessions.
The document will chart the course for negotiating the toughest issues of the conflict known as "final-status issues" -- Jerusalem, borders, security and Palestinian refugees.
HIGH HOPES
Abbas said during his talks with Bush: "Our hope is high that we will come out of this conference in order to begin negotiations on the 'final-status' issues, in order to reach a peace agreement between the Palestinians and the Israelis so that security and peace can prevail."
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said both sides were "converging" on a document and that Rice would meet later with the chief negotiators from each side to help work on it.
Old tensions were never far away. A senior Israeli official played down the chances of any direct talks in Annapolis -- or even an exchange of handshakes -- between Israeli and Saudi or Syrian leaders during the conference.
"They (Arab leaders) won't do it until they get something concrete from Israel," the official said on condition of anonymity.
Washington says the hard work will begin only after this week, when Israelis and Palestinians must tackle the issues at the core of the conflict.
In a reminder of the tit-for-tat violence that has caused havoc in the region for decades, a Palestinian Hamas militant was killed and four others were wounded Monday by an Israeli missile strike in the northern Gaza Strip.
In Jerusalem's Old City, at least 15,000 Israelis opposed to this week's talks gathered at the Western Wall to pray and protest against the Annapolis meeting.
Iran has condemned Annapolis as a ruse for aiding Israel.
"All politicians in the world are aware that this conference is doomed to failure," Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said a televised speech in Tehran.
The Annapolis bid follows years of failed U.S.-brokered efforts, the last by Bush's predecessor Bill Clinton, to end decades of conflict and forge a Palestinian state.
A senior aide to Abbas, Nabil Shaath, told Reuters that after Annapolis, Israelis and Palestinians would pick up from principles already agreed on during the Clinton administration.
White House national security adviser Stephen Hadley said he expected both sides to recommit to a 2003 "road map" which provides benchmarks that include a cessation of Jewish settlement in the West Bank occupied by Israel in a 1967 war as well as a Palestinian crackdown on militants. (Additional reporting by Adam Entous and Caren Bohan in Washington and Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza; Writing by Sue Pleming and Steve Holland; Editing by Howard Goller and David Storey)
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