EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana says Mideast peace possible by end of 2008

article from www.Haaretz.com

Solana: Israeli-Palestinian peace deal possible by the end of 2008
By Haaretz Service and News Agencies

An Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement could be in place by the end
of next year, European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Wednesday at a joint news conference with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in Jerusalem.

"My impression is that the whole process is doable, it can be done. Everyone has to work so the process ends up well," he said.


Earler, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said he told Solana that "the foundation for the post-Annapolis negotiations with the Palestinians be recognition of the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish people".

Differences over the issue emerged this week when Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said Palestinians would not accept Israel as a "Jewish state," a definition that could enable Olmert to argue against the right of return for refugees in a final deal.

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad echoed Erekat's statement on Wednesday. "We do not accept conditions of this type, not at all," he said on Al Arabiya television. However, Olmert told Solana that the matter was non-negotiable.

Livni, for her part, agreed with Solana that the upcoming international Annapolis peace summit was an opportunity for the peace process to move forward.

She said, however, that what was important about the meeting was "the day after."

The success of the parley, she went on, lay in the fact that it could re-launch an Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which has been dormant for the past seven years, since the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising in September 2000.

Livni also stressed that the Palestinians needed the support of Arab countries, who are expected to be present at Annapolis, "for the sake of the peace process."

"These countries must not dictate terms, or place obstacles in the way of
negotiations, but instead support bilateral Israeli- Palestinian talks," she said.

Arab countries were not present at the last serious attempt to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at Camp David in the summer of 2000.

That summit fell apart as the sides were unable to agree on how to resolve core issues, and the Palestinian uprising broke out a few months later.

Solana met earlier with Olmert, who briefed him on preparations for the Annapolis meeting.


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