Saturday, September 15, 2007

Palestinian Authority weighs postponing int'l peace summit

"Amid growing skepticism here and in several Arab capitals over the prospects of the US-sponsored Middle East conference, the Palestinian Authority is considering asking Washington to postpone it because the Palestinians are not ready to strike a deal on "fundamental issues," senior PA officials here told The Jerusalem Post over the weekend.

Those issues include the status of Jerusalem, the future borders of a Palestinian state and the problem of the Palestinian refugees.

The Palestinians, they added, are also "disturbed" by the fact that several Arab countries have hinted that they would stay away from the conference, which is slated for November.

In addition, they warned, the conference is likely to aggravate the power struggle between Fatah and Hamas, which has come out strongly against it.

PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who visited Jeddah and Amman last week, apparently failed to persuade the Saudis and Jordanians to take part in the conference. The Egyptians are also reported to have expressed reservations about the planned conference, warning that the lack of preparations for it would turn it into a mere photo opportunity......."

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Sorry, but I don't believe this story for one minute. When the headmistress Rice tells them to attend, they will all attend; mark my words.

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