Rice Encourages Support for Middle East Peace Talks

6 November 2008

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is making her eighth trip to the Middle East.

Eventual peace accord may come in next administration)By Merle D. Kellerhals Jr.
Staff Writer

Washington — The Israelis and Palestinians must maintain the momentum achieved a year ago in trying to reach a peace accord and the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state, says Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

“It is our expectation that the process, the Annapolis process, has laid groundwork which should make possible the conclusion of the Palestinian state or the establishment of a Palestinian state when political circumstances permit,” Rice said November 6 during her eighth trip to the region.

President Bush relaunched the Middle East peace process in November 2007 at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, with the aim of establishing a Palestinian state living in peace alongside Israel, a goal that has become known as the two-state solution.  One of the often cited goals coming out of the initial talks was a peace accord by the end of 2008, but the White House acknowledges that a deal is now less certain in that time frame.

“I think that whatever happens by the end of the year, you've got a firm foundation for quickly moving this forward to conclusion,” Rice said.

Rice said it is important to maintain momentum and support for the negotiations.  Complicating the talks are the elections in Israel scheduled for February 10, 2009, and a new U.S. administration set to begin January 20, 2009.

“Obviously, Israel is in the midst of elections and that is a constraint on the ability of any government to conclude what is the core conflict,” she said.

Core issues to be resolved in the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks include the final borders of a Palestinian state, the future status of Jerusalem, Israeli settlements, Palestinian refugees, water rights and future relations between the two states.

“We're going to try to put this process in the best possible place going forward so that whomever comes next can formulate their policies, take a look at the process, and possibly use it, take it further,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said at a November 5 briefing.  “Our focus is going to be on moving the process forward as far as it can be moved forward in a responsible way, while preserving the process.  That has great value.”

After Rice meets with senior Israeli and Palestinian negotiators, she will visit Jordan and then travel to the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for a meeting with the Quartet for Middle East Peace mediators — the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States.  Her trip runs November 5–9.

The purpose of the Quartet meeting is to secure international support for sustaining the peace process until a two-state solution can be reached, Rice said.

At a White House briefing November 6, press secretary Dana Perino said the prospects for a full peace accord by the end of this year have become increasingly unlikely, though it is critical to maintain momentum for the negotiations.

“It's our experience that over the past year, we have laid some very good groundwork for the Palestinians and the Israelis to be able to continue to have their discussions,” Perino said.  “And remember, President Bush is the first one to ever call for a Palestinian state.  And that has meant a lot to the people in the region, who are working to bridge the divide between the two and establish the definition of a state.  But no, we do not think that it's likely that it would happen before the end of the year.”