PA President Abbas
Photo: AP
PA official: Calling off summit preferable to failure
Senior Palestinian source says current state of negotiations between PA and Israel holds little promise for success in Annapolis peace conference; adds Abbas may prefer to call off summit if failure becomes likely
If US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice does not present the Palestinians with a "reasonable formula" for a joint Israeli-Palestinian success at the Annapolis conference, it is very likely that the summit would have to be postponed, a senior Palestinian source told Ynet Sunday.
The official said the talks held so far have not brought the two sides closer to a declaration of principles, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas may prefer to postpone the conference in light of the current state of affairs.
Israeli Optimism
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"However, if we do have to participate, we expect the US and the Quartet to pressure Israel heavily, so as not to allow the summit to hurt Abbas' image or become a weapon in the Palestinian opposition's hands," he explained.
"If the conference fails, this would be the last nail in the coffin of negotiations. The public's faith in the diplomatic process is nonexistent as it is, and any failure in the summit would turn the process into s corpse," the source added. "Therefore, it's better to cancel the conference than to hold a conference that would end in failure."
