MIDDLE EAST:Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak was quoted yesterday as saying that talk of any peace deal with the Palestinians anytime soon was a "fantasy", in a challenge to US-led efforts to revive negotiations.
In private conversations reported by Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Mr Barak said he would not carry out plans by Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert to remove roadblocks in the West Bank as a gesture to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.
But senior Abbas aide Saeb Erakat said the Palestinians were told that Mr Barak will present a "map" to remove the checkpoints next week.
Mr Barak's office stopped short of denying the Yedioth report in its entirety, but said: "There is no change in Barak's stance regarding the importance of the political process alongside our obligation to protect Israel's security." A spokesman for Mr Olmert declined to comment on the report in the mass circulation daily.
Mr Barak, who as prime minister spearheaded talks with the Palestinians that ended in failure in 2001, was quoted in Yedioth as saying a peace deal would not be possible for at least three to five years.
He said that is how much time would be needed for Israel to develop defences against rockets, which Palestinian militants regularly fire into southern Israel from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
"You can't feed Israelis fantasies about an arrangement with the Palestinians anytime soon," Mr Barak was quoted as saying.
He said in the report the most important question was whether Mr Abbas and Salam Fayyad, whom Mr Abbas appointed prime minister after sacking a Hamas-led government, are capable of implementing any deal.
Yedioth said Barak's answer was "no".
Mr Olmert met Mr Abbas in the West Bank for the first time on Monday, beginning discussions on so-called "fundamental issues" for the establishment of a Palestinian state. They aim to reach an agreement on statehood principles within four months when a US-sponsored conference is expected to be held.
Mr Barak, whose left-leaning Labor Party is the senior partner in Mr Olmert's coalition, said he did not intend to break away from the government, but added that Mr Olmert would appear "detached from reality" when the peace talks broke down.