US sponsored autumn conference will fail without guarantees, Abbas aides say

Bethlehem - Ma'an – Two of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas' advisors on Wednesday said they doubted the US-sponsored autumn conference will achieve anything.
(Ma'an Images)
Bethlehem - Ma'an – Two of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas' advisors on Wednesday said they doubted the US-sponsored autumn conference will achieve anything.Nabil Amr told Ma'an that the conference will not succeed unless decisions are taken to reactivate the final status' issues, along with meetings between both sides aiming to implement the already signed agreements.Abbas will ask the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, who is currently visiting the region, to impress upon the Israelis the necessity of beginning the final status negotiations, according to Amr."Abbas will also state to Rice the necessity of all concerned Arab countries taking part in the conference," he added.Amr denied that Abbas will ask Rice not to set the date for the conference until the Israelis and the Palestinians reach a joint formula. "We have not yet reached that choice as it is bound by what Rice will tell us tomorrow," he said.Nimir Hammad told Ma'an that the sponsor of the conference must secure its success. The conference must be based on the Arab peace initiative, and the Bush vision of an independent Palestinian state, he said.


Comment: Preceding was a report from the Arab press-note how they are using guilt to influence US to put pressure on Olmert to put deal together BEFORE the conference-a long standing tactic-unfortunately it has worked time and again-this is not the way to change a group's behavior-you are simply rewarding it!