JERUSALEM, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice will visit the Middle East later this week, in a new bid to
push forward the staggering Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
U.S. State Department announced
Thursday that Rice would travel to Israel, the Palestinian territories,
Jordan and Egypt from Nov.5 to 9, marking her 19th visit to the region in two
years, and her eighth since Annapolis peace conference last November.
"She will meet her Quartet counterparts and senior
government officials to discuss efforts to achieve positive and lasting peace in
the region, consistent with the Annapolis process and the shared goal of a
two-state solution," said State Department deputy spokesman Robert Wood.
Under the U.S. pressure, Israeli and Palestinian
leaders agreed last November at the U.S.-hosted international conference, held
in Maryland's Annapolis, to relaunch the stalled peace talks aimed to hammer out
a comprehensive peace treaty before U.S. President George W. Bush leaves office
in January.
On Sunday, local daily The Jerusalem Post reported
that Rice will arrive in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh this weekend
after talks in Jordan, Israel and with the Palestinian National Authority (PNA),
in what is likely to be her last visit to the region as U.S. secretary of state.
Representatives of the Quartet, namely the United
States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia, will gather in the
resort to assess how much progress has been made on the Palestinian track in the
year since the launch of the Annapolis process.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who also heads
the Israeli negotiating team with the Palestinians, will attend the upcoming
gathering, said the report, adding that chief Palestinian negotiator, former PNA
Prime minister Ahmed Qurei, will also attend.
Since Annapolis, the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks
have made little substantial progress due to deep rifts on sensitive issues.
Rice, however, said in mid-October that she will
continue to pursue a Middle East peace deal before the end of this year.
"It is very difficult, there's a hard road ahead, but
if we do not try, we almost certainly will not succeed," said Rice during an
address to a Palestinian investment forum at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
headquarters in Washington.
"Until that moment when I leave office, I will leave
no stone unturned to see if we can finally resolve this conflict," said Rice,
urging both Israel and the Palestinian side to "redouble efforts" to achieve the
peace deal.
¡¡¡¡PEACE TALKS LIKELY TO GO NOWHERE
Despite Rice's repeated commitment and consistent
efforts, her upcoming visit could hardly lead to a breakthrough in the
Israeli-Palestinian peace process before the looming Annapolis deadline.
One main reason is the lingering political
instability in Israel. With its ruling Kadima party leader Livni's failure to
form a new coalition in October, the Jewish state is now most likely to plunge
into another three-month political chaos till early general elections.
On Oct. 30, Israeli Knesset (parliament) Speaker
Dalia Itzik announced that the final date for the early general elections is set
for Feb. 10.
The lingering political instability, together with
the continuing absence of a functioning government, has stirred up widespread
worries that the last drop of hope would be wiped away for an
Israeli-Palestinian peace deal within this year.
Israel's political parties are now busy preparing for
the general elections. Under this circumstance, little room will be left for the
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, let alone achieving significant progress.
Palestinian officials have complained that Israel's
political turmoil marks a major blockade along the already sluggish peace
process, and has been hampering serious efforts to bridge the gaps on borders,
settlements, the status of Jerusalem and other key issues.
On Sunday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ruled
out the possibility of clinching a peace pact with Israel within 2008.
"Frankly speaking, there will be no comprehensive
solution before the end of 2008," Abbas said after talks with Jordan's King
Abdullah II in Amman.
Also on Sunday, senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb
Erekat ruled out the continuation of peace talks before a new Israeli government
is formed, saying, "I don't think the negotiations can go on during the term of
the transitional government in Israel."
Until the formation of a new government, outgoing
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will remain in power as caretaker premier.
Though Olmert has pledged to push forward the peace
process as long as he remains in office and has repeatedly voiced his confidence
in the Annapolis goal, his authority on significant diplomatic issues has been
questioned.
As the Annapolis goal is drifting further out of
reach, the peace prospect after Israel's snap election also appears elusive,
with recent polls indicating a close match between Kadima and the current main
opposition party Likud.
Meanwhile, even the winning party is unlikely to
fully carry out its policies, since it seems certain that it will have to rule
in the form of a coalition.
However, a victory of the right-wing Likud is
expected to draw an even darker picture of the already frustrating peace
process, as its leader, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized many
of the concessions Olmert and Livni have made in the talks with the
Palestinians.
AMMAN, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on
Sunday ruled out the possibility of clinching a peace pact with Israel within
2008.
"Frankly speaking, there will be no comprehensive solution before the end of 2008," Abbas said after talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II.
"There is no possibility of working out a partial agreement, because we seek a comprehensive accord," he added. Full story
