[New York Times] Steven Erlanger - The American-sponsored Middle East peace conference expected by the end of the month looks to be thin on content, mostly serving as a stage to begin formal negotiations on a peace treaty between Israel and Mahmoud Abbas. Israeli and American officials have been so busy dampening expectations that they are not even calling the event a conference anymore, instead referring to it merely as a "meeting," tentatively scheduled for Nov. 25-27 in Annapolis. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are having trouble agreeing on even a short declaration about the shape of a final peace. "Because we can't agree on the substance of a joint paper, we prefer to say we're just beginning to negotiate," said a senior Israeli official close to Prime Minister Olmert. The long buildup to Annapolis, together with Ms. Rice's many trips to the region, have given birth to a new verb in Israeli government circles: "lecondel," meaning, to come and go for meetings that produce few results. The word is based on Ms. Rice's first name. Even if a deal is reached, and many are skeptical, it will not be carried out for a number of years. Israel wants to be sure that if it withdraws from the West Bank, there is a reliable Palestinian security force to stop aggression and terrorism - to ensure that a Hamas-run Gaza that fires rockets at Israel is not replicated in the West Bank. As Tony Blair said: "The true Israeli anxiety is focused not only on the territory of the Palestinian state, but on the nature of that state. The true Israeli position is not to agree to a state for the Palestinians unless they are sure of how that state will function, how it will be governed, how viable it will be, and not simply in its territorial contiguity, but in its stability as a long-term partner for peace."
2007-11-12 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive