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Defense Officials: Important to Lower Expectations for International Conference

[Jerusalem Post] Yaakov Katz and Mark Weiss - Defense Minister Ehud Barak has appointed the head of the Defense Ministry's Diplomatic-Military Bureau, Amos Gilad, as his representative at the talks with the Palestinians. Officials close to Barak and Gilad said Tuesday it was unlikely anything concrete would come from the talks and that it was important to begin lowering expectations ahead of the international conference so it would not trigger a third intifada if it failed. "We need to be realistic and realize that Abbas will have extreme difficulty in delivering on any of his commitments," said a defense official involved in the talks. "There is also a real chance that the Palestinians will pull out of the summit even before it takes place due to Israel's refusal to commit itself on final-status issues." Israel is seeking a general statement of principles, leaving the details to be thrashed out in bilateral negotiations after the gathering. However, the Palestinians are pressing for the core issues, such as borders, Jerusalem and refugees, to be included in the joint statement along with a timetable for implementation.
2007-10-03 01:00:00
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