NPR: Officials Downplay Expectations for Mideast Summit

Officials Downplay Expectations for Mideast Summit

When President Bush opens the Middle East summit in Annapolis, Md., today, he will tell the attendees that the time is right to relaunch peace talks because "a battle is under way for the future" of the troubled region. But he's not expected to detail any of his own ideas on how to achieve the goal.

Meanwhile, the two main participants are having trouble even agreeing on a joint statement about the purpose of the talks, despite heavy pressure from the United States to produce one. Palestinians want the statement to address, "at least in general terms, key issues of Palestinian statehood — final borders, sovereignty over disputed Jerusalem, and the fate of Palestinian refugees who lost homes in Israel following its 1948 creation. Israel has pressed for a more vague statement of commitment to two states living side by side in peace," The Associated Press reports.

In the Middle East itself, a series of polls found widespread skepticism among Israelis and Palestinians about the summit, McClatchy reports.

Nearly three-quarters of Israelis expect the conference to lead to nothing. A majority of Palestinians expect that a failure at Annapolis will lead to a surge in violence. And while most people on both sides support peace talks, they aren't willing to make the painful sacrifices necessary to end the conflict.

Participants in the summit are publicly expressing optimism about the talks, while at the same time trying to downplay any expectations that they will lead to a settlement quickly. However, both Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have said they will try to find a solution before Bush leaves office next year.

10:55 AM ET | 11-27-2007 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

Bush's motivation? NYT says it's to unite Sunni arabs and Israel against Iran. Hmmmm ... Well, certainly the one thing the neocons, Israel and Sunni Muslims have in common is fear of Iran. And it's no secret that the Israel/Palestinian issue is a political football for the other Arab states and possibly the top recruiting tool for extrimist groups like Al Qaeda. So maybe there's something to the argument. Maybe it's a choice of doing something, as opposed to allowing the status qou to fester by doing nothing. Maybe ... or it could be just another dumb and pointless move by a neocon cabal who still think that history is on their side and they are smarter than everyone else. Time will tell I guess.

Sent by John R. Otten | 3:49 PM ET | 11-28-2007

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