M. Olmert fixe des objectifs limités à la conférence de paix prévue à Washington

Michel Bôle-Richard, Le Monde, 17/09/07. Le premier ministre israélien, Ehoud Olmert, a considérablement refroidi les espoirs d'une avancée majeure des négociations avec les Palestiniens, dans la perspective d'une réunion internationale, vers la mi-novembre, aux Etats-Unis. Malgré trois rencontres, en août, entre M. Olmert et M. Abbas, les pourparlers n'ont guère progressé. Après les derniers entretiens, il avait été décidé de constituer une groupe de travail afin de faire avancer les discussions. Il devrait se réunir pour la première fois cette semaine afin de tenter d'aboutir à une position commune. Pour le moment, les divergences sont profondes. Les Israéliens souhaitent se cantonner à une déclaration

REUTERS/POOL
Ehoud Olmert et Tzipi Livni, dimanche 16 septembre à Jérusalem.

générale en vue d'objectifs communs sans s'avancer sur un calendrier. Tzipi Livni, ministre des affaires étrangères ne cesse de répéter que la réunion de Washington ne sera pas le cadre pour engager des négociations. Pour le moment, ni le lieu, ni les invités, ni l'objet même de cette réunion ne sont fixés.

De leur côté, les Palestiniens veulent parvenir à un document détaillé, avec un agenda pour sa mise en place. Mahmoud Abbas insiste pour que les question fondamentales que sont la délimitation des frontières, le statut de Jérusalem et le douloureux problème du retour des réfugiés soient abordées afin que la création d'un Etat palestinien, que tout le monde affirme appeler de ses voeux, soit véritablement au centre des pourparlers. L'un de ses proches conseillers, Nimr Hamad, a indiqué que, si la réunion de Washington "ne sert qu'à entériner une déclaration commune, cela ne vaut pas la peine d'y aller".

C'est dans ce climat que Condoleezza Rice, secrétaire d'Etat américaine, doit arriver, mardi 18 septembre, pour une visite de deux jours afin de se rendre compte de l'état d'avancement des discussions. Il ne reste plus que deux mois pour trouver la bonne formule permettant de relancer les pourparlers après sept années de blocage. Pour le moment, ni le lieu, ni les invités, ni l'objet même de cette réunion ne sont fixés.

Comme a déjà averti Amr Moussa, président de la Ligue arabe : "Nous devons nous opposer aux tentatives de vider la réunion de son sens dont je vois le signe dans certaines déclarations israéliennes." De leur côté, les Saoudiens ont clairement fait savoir qu'ils ne participeraient pas à cette réunion "si elle ne répond pas aux problèmes essentiels".

PM: No Agreement of Principles at fall regional summit

Barak Ravi, Haaretz Correspondent, 16/09/07. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Kadima Party ministers on Sunday that Israel and the Palestinian Authority will not present an Agreement of Principles on final status issues at a U.S.-hosted regional summit this coming fall, but will rather issue a joint declaration. "There is a difference between an Agreement of Principles and a declaration that presents intentions," said the prime minister. Olmert and his aides have been making an ongoing attempt to lower expectations for the summit and negotiations with the PA. "The agenda of this government since the day it was established has been to push toward taking advantage of opportunities to launch a peace process," he said. "We are examining whether or not a serious process is possible, which meets our expectations within the basic parameters of providing security to Israeli citizens. If we don't examine this, we will not be able to forgive ourselves."

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8 point declaration of principles being thrashed out by Israelis and Palestinians before autumn summit

Bethlehem – Ma'an – Exclusive – 11/09/07. Ma'an News Agency has received from an Israeli source exclusive copy, written in Hebrew, of the points which are being crystallized as a declaration of principles between Israel and the PLO before the autumn summit, expected to be held in November in Washington.

The following is an exact translation of the 1 page document:

"The Israeli leadership and the PLO leadership must immediately get involved in an operation which once completed will lead to the establishment of two states – Israel and Palestine. Relying on a basic declaration of principles and understandings as follows:

1. Israel to end its occupation of the West Bank in a given period of time. Gradual withdrawal and evacuation of Israeli settlements. Each evacuated area will be turned over to the Palestinian Authority where law and order will prevail. And law and order will be established in Gaza as part of the process which will enable Israel to see the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as one political entity.

2. An unarmed Palestinian state within the 1967 borders. The specific details of the borders will be determined according to security needs, demographic developments and humanitarian requirements. This will pave the way to for an equal territorial exchange. Israel will keep some settlement blocs and maintain geographic contiguity in Palestine and horizons for economic prosperity.

3. There will be two capitals in Jerusalem, one for Israel and one for Palestine. The Israeli neighbourhoods will be under Israeli sovereignty and the Arab neighbourhoods under Palestinian sovereignty. There will be cooperation between both authorities which will allow for better administration of people's lives.

4. Special arrangements will be prepared to secure access to Holy places for all religions. A special administrative authority will be established to organise access of both people to Holy places in the Old City of Jerusalem.

5. Palestine to be declared a national homeland for the Palestinian people and Israel to be declared a national homeland for the Jewish people.

6. A just solution to be agreed on for the problem of the Palestinian refugees with recognition of their suffering and understanding of their individual right within the framework of a comprehensive solution.

7. Both sides to declare the end of conflict and endeavour to gain public support as much as possible and both sides to do their best to cooperate against any aspect of terrorism and violence from either of the two states against the other.

8. Both sides to consider this agreement as being in accordance with the principles of the peace initiative proposed by the Arab League. Both will call the Arab League to positive steps towards full implementation of that initiative. They will also call on the international community and the International Quartet to intervene and provide aid in different ways to push the agreement forward.

This agreement which is based on the 8 principles must be reached before the US-sponsored autumn peace summit. It will then be proposed and documented as international resolution, the statement read.

Immediately after the international summit and simultaneously with ongoing negotiations to reach a detailed agreement, Israel will start to withdraw its forces and evacuate settlements from territories in the West Bank. Completion of the stages of evacuation will be done in tandem with the completion of the negotiations, the statement added.