Rice says time for a Palestinian state*

 From correspondents in Ramallah

October 16, 2007 05:51am
Article from: Agence France-Presse

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pushed Israelis and Palestinians
overnight to reach concrete understandings ahead of a US peace summit,
saying the time had come for a Palestinian state.

Confirming an international meeting would take place in Annapolis,
Maryland, Dr Rice said the creation of a Palestinian state was essential
and efforts to that end were US President George W. Bush's highest priority.

"Frankly it is time for the establishment of a Palestinian state," Dr
Rice said after meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West
Bank on her seventh visit to the region this year.

"The US sees the establishment of a Palestinian state, a two-state
solution, as absolutely essential to the future of not just the
Palestinians and Israelis, but also the Middle East and indeed to
American interests.

"We have got quite a long time to go but we are not going to tire until
I have given my last ounce of energy and my last moment in office.

"The president has decided to make this one of the highest priorities of
his administration and of his time in office, means he is absolutely
serious about moving this issue forward and moving it as rapidly as
possible to conclusion."

The international community is hoping the US-hosted conference, expected
to be held next month, will advance the Middle East peace process after
almost seven years of deadlock.

"This is going to be a serious and substantive conference that will
advance the cause of the establishment of a Palestinian state. We
frankly have better things to do than invite people to Annapolis for a
photo op," she said.

But Israel and the Palestinians disagree strongly on the content of a
joint document, which negotiating teams are charged with drawing up to
serve as a basis for those talks.

The Palestinians want a detailed agreement and timeframe for
implementing solutions to the thorniest issues in the conflict, while
the Israelis want a more vague document with core issues left until
after the conference.

"They are not going to try to solve everything in this November
document, but it does need to be a serious and substantive and concrete
document that demonstrates that there is a way forward," Dr Rice insisted.

Briefing journalists later, however, she clarified that she did not
necessarily mean - as the Palestinians want - that the document should
be detailed.

"I said there needs to be a serious and substantive document that will
address the core issues. A document does not have to be detailed in
order to be serious, it doesn't have to be detailed in order to be
substantive," he said.

Mr Abbas and Mr Olmert have met four times in two months to prepare for
next month's meeting. Their teams of negotiators were to meet later
today to discuss key issues of the document, officials said.

After meeting Dr Rice for four hours in Ramallah, Mr Abbas listed the
points he wanted the joint document to refer to - borders, the status of
Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, Jewish settlements and water.

"They (negotiations) should not be open indefinitely. We need a
timetable to be able to measure our achievements," the Palestinian
leader said.

But Mr Olmert and Dr Rice oppose a timetable for solving the thorniest
problems of the decades-long conflict - borders, refugees and the status
of Jerusalem.

"I am not certain that a timetable that says we have to complete X by Y
time is where we want to go," Dr Rice said.

Also overnight, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hinted for the first
time in office he would be willing to give up annexed Arab
neighbourhoods in occupied east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians dream
of making their capital.

"Was it necessary to annex the Shufat refugee camp, al-Sawahra, Walajeh
and other villages and state that this is also Jerusalem? I must admit,
one can ask some legitimate questions on the issue," he said.