Negotiator: Israel, Palestinians to start writing pact

[oberliner]

JERUSALEM: Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have agreed to start drafting elements of a proposed peace accord, the chief Palestinian negotiator said.

Ahmed Qureia, the veteran negotiator heading the Palestinian team, made it clear that the decision did not necessarily reflect agreement on major issues. But this would be the first time since negotiations resumed more than six months ago that anything would be committed to paper.

"We agreed with the Israelis to begin writing the positions," Qureia told reporters late Friday.

Israeli government officials would not comment.

Qureia did not explain why the two sides had agreed at this point to begin drafting a text.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/07/africa/ME-GEN-Israel-Palestinians.php

[DCKit]

1. Damn that Jimmy Carter!!! n/t

[Fredda Weinberg]

3. It's probably this instead ...

The timing coincides with a corruption scandal in Israel that threatens to unseat Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Should Israel find itself going to early elections, polls show Benjamin Netanyahu, who opposes major territorial concessions to the Palestinians, becoming Israel's next premier. However, drafting during previous rounds of peace talks has not meant always that those positions were then preserved for future negotiators.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/07/africa/ME-GEN-Israel-Palestinians.php

[DCKit]

5. Oh, Fredda, you're always such a ray of sunshine. n/t

[Fredda Weinberg]

6. Honestly, I wish things had turned out different. As for Carter, I trudged

through 5' of snow to vote for him, but we've seen this screenplay before. This government is setting the bar for the next, so the details are interesting.

[Sezu]

7. Carter is Hamas' stooge; he had nothing to do with this n/t

[LeftishBrit]

8. He had nothing to do with this, but he isn't 'Hamas' stooge'

He tried to persuade Hamas to enter negotiations - and seems to have achieved about the same success that was achieved by Russian leader who tried the same thing a year or two ago.

IMO it was worth a try; but the chances of success weren't that high.

The best hope of success will be when the Israelis and Palestinians themselves get sufficiently fed up with the conflict to pressure their governments for peace instead of war.

[notfullofit]

9. Has Hamas, to date,

held any successful peace talks with anybody?

[Vegasaurus]

10. No, and there is no indication that Hamas

plans to talk or negotiate with anyone, least of all Israel.

Instead, they plan to increase their attacks, since the suffering of their people is of no concern.

They would rather increase misery than have a state.

[azurnoir]

11. Nor is there that Israel is either

As shown in this thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[LeftishBrit]

2. A hopeful sign - let's hope that it leads to some real progress!

[Fredda Weinberg]

4. I'm afraid not. We've seen this before when a Labour gov't crumbled

Kadimah is no different, I'm afraid.