'We've made no progress with Livni yet'

VIRGINIA – Despite the near daily rhetoric byAmerican, Israeli and Palestinian leaders affirming the feasibility of seeing a peace accord signed by the end of US President George W. Bush's term in 2009, one of those involved in

the proceedings is less than optimistic regarding the prospects of a 2008 deal - the Palestinian Authority's foreign affairs minister, Riyad al-Maliki.

Speaking at the Wienberg Founders Conference hosted by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, al-Maliki accused Israel of the stagnation in the ongoing peace negotiations.

"We have been meeting with Tzipi Livni since the Annapolis summit, and nothing has happened yet," said al-Maliki.

"Israel continues to build settlements, refuses to set a timetable, is unwilling to discuss Jerusalem, and we are under heavy pressure from our public and from Hamas," he added.

Minister Isaac Herzog (Labor) and US President Bill Clinton's special Middle East coordinator, Dennis Ross, also took part in the forum.

'Hamas won't ever recognize Israel'

Al-Maliki spoke at length on the impact Israel's policies have on the weakened Palestinian Authority. "Israel dishonors us in the eyes of our public. We are trying to create an atmosphere of trust, and this is what Israel chooses to do," he said.

"We need Israel and the United States to renew their commitments (to the PA), otherwise we will lose the

faith of our people."

Al-Maliki went on to say that Hamas "would never recognize Israel." The Islamist group seized control of the Gaza Strip from the Fatah-led PA in a bloody coup last year.

The Palestinian minister reiterated his dedication to the peace process, and warned against turning to other possibilities. "If we lose the two-state vision, what will the alternative be?" He asked.

"We must stop wasting time. And we have wasted a lot of time. We can't talk about interim agreements; we need a deal that will end the conflict."