Sing4Him
November 4th, 2008, 07:48 PM
Rice may submit paper for Mideast peace
Nov. 5, 2008
, THE JERUSALEM POST
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will likely present the next US administration with her own parameters for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, diplomatic officials in Jerusalem said on Tuesday, two days before she arrives for yet another visit to the region.
Rice is scheduled to arrive on Thursday for the 24th time as secretary of state, and then go to Sharm e-Sheikh on Sunday for a meeting of the Middle East Quartet. At that meeting, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Palestinian Authority negotiator Ahmed Qurei are expected to brief the Quartet representatives on where the negotiations currently stand.
According to assessments in Jerusalem, while it was clear that Israel and the Palestinians would not - as Rice had previously hoped - issue a joint document codifying their work, she herself was likely to present a paper summing up the talks and laying out what she thought needed to be done to reach an agreement, similar to the way US president Bill Clinton issued his "Clinton Parameters" before leaving office in January 2001.
According to Israeli diplomatic officials, there was also the possibility that US President George W. Bush would put his stamp on this document. US diplomatic officials in Israel said they had no information about any intention by Bush to issue a statement on the Middle East before leaving office in January.
One senior diplomatic official in Jerusalem characterized Rice's upcoming visit as one of "stock-taking" a year after the Annapolis Conference. "She understands that she can't reach an agreement, but wants a summary."
According to this official, Rice would likely produce a paper documenting where things stood before she took office, where the situation stood now, and what her recommendations were for pushing the process forward. The purpose of such a paper, the official said, would be to leave the next administration with terms of reference so "they won't have to start from scratch."............
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1225715342616&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Nov. 5, 2008
, THE JERUSALEM POST
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will likely present the next US administration with her own parameters for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, diplomatic officials in Jerusalem said on Tuesday, two days before she arrives for yet another visit to the region.
Rice is scheduled to arrive on Thursday for the 24th time as secretary of state, and then go to Sharm e-Sheikh on Sunday for a meeting of the Middle East Quartet. At that meeting, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Palestinian Authority negotiator Ahmed Qurei are expected to brief the Quartet representatives on where the negotiations currently stand.
According to assessments in Jerusalem, while it was clear that Israel and the Palestinians would not - as Rice had previously hoped - issue a joint document codifying their work, she herself was likely to present a paper summing up the talks and laying out what she thought needed to be done to reach an agreement, similar to the way US president Bill Clinton issued his "Clinton Parameters" before leaving office in January 2001.
According to Israeli diplomatic officials, there was also the possibility that US President George W. Bush would put his stamp on this document. US diplomatic officials in Israel said they had no information about any intention by Bush to issue a statement on the Middle East before leaving office in January.
One senior diplomatic official in Jerusalem characterized Rice's upcoming visit as one of "stock-taking" a year after the Annapolis Conference. "She understands that she can't reach an agreement, but wants a summary."
According to this official, Rice would likely produce a paper documenting where things stood before she took office, where the situation stood now, and what her recommendations were for pushing the process forward. The purpose of such a paper, the official said, would be to leave the next administration with terms of reference so "they won't have to start from scratch."............
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1225715342616&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull