Palestinian Analyst Predicts Failure of US-Hosted Meeting As Rice Meets Abbas

Oct 15, 05:00 AM

Current Headlines: Doha Al-Jazeera Satellite Channel Television in Arabic leads its 0600 gmt newscast on 15 October with the following announcer-read report:

"US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice holds talks today with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas in preparation for the peace conference slated to be held in the United States next month. Rice, who met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his Defence Minister Ehud Barak, said that she does not expect to achieve surprising progress with regard to the stand of the two sides."

This is followed by a live satellite interview from Gaza with Mustafa al-Sawwaf, a Palestinian writer.

Commenting on Secretary Rice's visit, Mustafa al-Sawwaf says: "I believe that Rice's tour is a continuation of her previous tours so as to lower the ceiling of Palestinian expectations in favour of the Israeli expectations, particularly in light of the Palestinian stand that underlines the need to reach a statement that paves the way for permanent peace negotiations, including all the core issues, such as Jerusalem, the refugees, and borders."

He adds: "I believe that Condoleezza Rice came in an attempt to bridge the gap between the two sides and to hammer out a joint document for the fall conference in Annapolis, which US President Bush called for. Rice stressed that this meeting aims to achieve US President Bush's vision not through the establishment of two states but rather through calming the region in favour of the US project. This is what Rice said yesterday."

Al-Sawwaf argues that any agreement to be reached between the Israelis and Palestinians would serve Israel's security, warning against the repercussions of reaching this agreement at the expense of the Palestinian people's rights.

Concluding, Al-Sawwaf predicts failure for the US-sponsored fall peace conference if it does not entail "at least the establishment of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders."

Originally published by Al-Jazeera TV, Doha, in Arabic 0600 15 Oct 07.

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