US SECRETARY of state Condoleezza Rice has tried to put a positive spin on the failure of Israel and the Palestinians to achieve a breakthrough in peace talks, saying that one year of negotiations have laid the ground for an eventual deal, writes Mark Weissin Jerusalem.
Speaking in the West Bank city of Ramallah yesterday, after talks with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, Dr Rice acknowledged the target set by Washington, after peace talks were relaunched a year ago in Annapolis, Maryland, for a deal before President George Bush leaves office, was no longer realistic, but she insisted the talks had not failed.
"In fact, it is quite the opposite. The Annapolis process has laid the foundations for the eventual establishment of the state of Palestine," she said. "The Annapolis process . . . is vital, it is vibrant and it is continuing and I am quite certain that, carried to its conclusion, it will produce a state of Palestine."
The Palestinian president urged the incoming administration in Washington to deal with the Middle East immediately.
Just exactly what has been achieved during the year-long negotiations is difficult to gauge as both sides have been reluctant to provide details, insisting that the only way to make progress was to conduct the contacts in secret.
It is not even clear what has been discussed. According to Palestinian officials, all contentious issues were on the table, including the borders of a future Palestinian state, the fate of Palestinian refugees and the status of Jerusalem.
Israeli representatives, however, insisted Jerusalem would only be discussed once agreement had been reached on the other subjects.
The Palestinians want east Jerusalem to be the capital of a future independent state, but the ultra- Orthodox Shas party, a member of the Israeli government, threatened to quit the coalition if Jerusalem was even discussed.
Dr Rice will conclude her four- day visit to the region, her 22nd as secretary of state, tomorrow, when she participates at the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in a meeting of the quartet of Middle East peace mediators, which also includes the EU, Russia and the United Nations.
The quartet representatives will be briefed by Israeli and Palestinian officials and it is expected their report will provide the basis for future peacemaking efforts.
No major push to renew peace efforts from the incoming administration of Barack Obama is expected until after the Israeli elections in February.
Opinion polls show a slight advantage for the right-wing and religious bloc of parties.
Dr Rice also yesterday met Benjamin Netanyahu, the head of the Likud, the largest right-wing party. The man who could well be Israel's next prime minister told the secretary of state he would adopt a new peace model if he was elected.
Mr Netanyahu told Dr Rice his model would stress economic development and trade ties between Israel and its Arab neighbours that would eventually prompt peace on the diplomatic front.