[Los Angeles Times] Richard Boudreaux - Secretary of State Rice will return to the region next month for three-way talks with Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Olmert's aides said he views the encounter as part of a "pre-negotiation stage" in which the two sides build trust through initial steps, such as Israel's easing of cargo restrictions, a halt to Palestinian rocket attacks, and an exchange of prisoners. "We're still at the early stages of building the confidence necessary to open peace negotiations," said Miri Eisin, the prime minister's spokeswoman. "We're not there yet, and we're not going to be cutting corners." Israelis feel burned for having tried to negotiate a peace deal with Yasser Arafat, only to see those talks give way in 2000 to a Palestinian uprising. Israel is also distrustful of Abbas' authority, which was weakened by the militant Hamas movement's victory in parliamentary elections a year ago, and is loath to discuss territorial concessions with a leader it sees as unable to restrain large-scale violence against the Jewish state.
2007-01-18 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive