The United States said on Wednesday that a date is now set for the US sponsored meeting in Annapolis to mediate the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. "We now have a date, but I'm not prepared to share it yet", said State Department Sean McCormack but hinted it would be sometime before December 21 and most likely not in November.| You're such a tease, Sean. |
McCormack said that invitations could be extended in "a variety of different means" such as "oral invitations or via cable".
"I am not sure that there's going to be a formal printing process" he added.| Translated, that means: "We don't want to give Islamic Jihad or Al-Aksa Martyrs too much of a head start." |
McCormack said the Israeli and Palestinian sides are drafting the joint document ahead of the anticipated meeting in Annapolis, Maryland and not the United States. "It is not done yet; they still have work to do. They are still continuing to meet on it", he added.
McCormack said that Washington expects to be a document ready and a progress made in the first phase of the roadmap. "But I fully expect that they are going to be prepared for Annapolis and that part of being prepared means coming to agreement on the document", he added noting that the Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas "were going to try to make as much progress as they possibly could before the end of President Bush's term in office".
"We are offering our counsel and advice where it might be needed, where we think it is wise to offer it", he added.
McCormack described the Annapolis meeting as "the starting point" for the negotiation track to address all of the core issues in the conflict. "In the run-up to Annapolis we would hope that there is some progress on the practical on-the-ground measures", he concluded. |