Palestinian president meets with Jordan's King Abdullah, says absolutely no hope for agreement by Annapolis deadline. Jordan vows to support Abbas in bid to 'regain Palestinian rights'
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday excluded the possibility of reaching a peace agreement with Israel before the end of 2008 as envisaged at the Annapolis conference in November last year.
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"Frankly speaking there will be no comprehensive solution before the end of 2008," Abbas told reporters after talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II.
"There is no possibility for working out a partial agreement, because we seek a comprehensive accord," he said.
Since the Annapolis conference in November 2007, Israel and the Palestinian Authority have been involved in peace negotiations with the avowed aim of reaching a peace pact that tackles all core issues – sovereignty over Jerusalem, settlements, Palestinian refugees and the final borders.
The outcome of the peace talks figured prominently in Abbas' talks with King Abdullah.
"We discussed the attitude that we can take pending the election of a new US administration and the
formation of a new Israeli government," Abbas said.
For his part, King Abdullah underscored the importance of reaching "a reconciliation" between Abbas' Fatah group and the Islamic movement, Hamas, saying such a step would be "instrumental in fulfilling the objective of setting up an independent Palestinian state," according to a royal court statement.
He promised continued Jordanian support for Abbas in his endeavors "to regain Palestinian rights through the negotiation process."
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