Abbas will work with Israel in advance of conference

MIDDLE EAST:Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas announced yesterday that he is prepared to work with Israel to delineate the shape of a Pales- tinian state ahead of an international conference proposed for September.

Speaking during a news conference with US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, Mr Abbas said continuing talks with Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert would focus on the road map, a step-by-step plan for the emergence of a Palestinian state, and culminate in the "declaration of principles" which would define the final phase and lay down the stages by which it would be reached.

"The important thing here is that we reach results," Mr Abbas asserted.

Dr Rice revealed that during her meeting with Mr Olmert, he had agreed to discuss "fundamental issues".

He has refused so far, however, to negotiate on the fate of Palestinian refugees, the status of East Jerusalem and borders.

He has also expressed scepticism about the ability of the Palestinian Authority to implement any final deal or security pro- visions of the road map, including disarmament of paramilitaries and detention of men Israel regards as terrorists.

Well aware of his concerns, Dr Rice signed an agreement with prime minister Salam Fayyad for the provision to Palestinian security forces of $80 million in training and equipment, excluding weapons and ammunition.

She said the conference proposed by the Bush administration would not be a photo opportunity but a gathering which would advance Palestinian statehood.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri retorted: "Rice did not come to the region to establish a Palestinian state . . . Instead, she came to support one Palestinian party against another and to sup- port the Zionist occupation."

Hamas accuses the US of fostering division between the Fatah-controlled West Bank and Hamas-ruled Gaza in order to perpetuate Israeli occupation and deny Palestinians statehood.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said that Palestinians did not want another meeting empty of content.

"What we need to see are timelines and mechanisms for implementation."

Jordan's King Abdullah used the very same words to describe Arab expectations of any new conference.

During a meeting on Wednesday with Mr Abbas, the king also called for an "action plan" and warned that "wasting more time will have dangerous repercussions".

Saudi foreign minister Saud al-Faisal told Dr Rice that his country would "consider" attending a conference if "it deals with the substantive matters of peace".

As author of the Arab peace plan calling for full Israeli withdrawal from occupied Arab land in exchange for full normalisation with the Arabs, Riyadh has been disappointed over Israeli and US conditional acceptance of the proposal.

Mr Olmert has said Israel is not prepared to pull out of all the territory captured in June 1967 but is prepared to accept the Arab plan only as a "basis" for negotiation.

Arab commentators say the Arabs have no faith in the moribund 2003 road map drawn up by the Quartet of the US, EU, UN and Russia and dismiss outright talk of another "declaration of principles" which would be similar to the defunct Oslo accord of September 1993.