Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas affirmed yesterday that he will not make any concessions at Annapolis Conference and that he will demand the implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions and the Arab Initiative and the roadmap which stipulates the establishment of the independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital and the return of the refugees. In an interview with Middle East News Agency, President Abbas demanded from the Arab and Islamic countries not to take any normalization measures or recognize Israel at the present time until it withdraws from all Palestinian and Arab territories which were occupied in 1967 and to find a just solution to the refugees issue based on UN Resolution 194. Abbas who held discussions with Egyptian President Mubarak to coordinate positions said the Annapolis Conference is an opportunity for us and we have to use it and make use of it and push the ball into the court of the other side and if the other side does not want peace, this will be the test and matters will become clear within one month or 45 days. President Abbas affirmed: We are going to the conference to request the implementation of the international legitimacy as it is mentioned in the UN and as it was mentioned in the Arab Initiative which was also adopted by the roadmap which became UN Security Council Resolution 1515. I will demand this and I will not demand anything less than that. I went to Camp David and demanded this and I didn’t succeed and now I want to demand this and for sure Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the other Arab countries will not demand anything less than that. He stressed: no one can force us to accept anything less than the international legitimacy resolutions; all problems have solutions, but to say No to this issue and No to that issue, what will be left? Then we will return to the conflict in two or three years. The problem needs to be solved from all aspects and therefore the problem of the refugees, Jerusalem, the borders, the settlements, water and security and all issues must be solved then we can sign a peace treaty just like the treaty signed with Egypt. On the time needed to negotiate and reach such an agreement, Abbas said: We proposed a maximum period of six months and so far we have not agreed with the Israeli side or the American side on this point, but we see this period as enough. Six months are enough to discuss the agreement on all issues of the final status. I will not accept to leave matters open indefinitely. Abbas said he opposes the conference to be held in Damascus. Abbas affirmed that the participation of Saudi Arabia in the conference does not mean normalization with Israel.

In the meantime, Ahmad Qurei', Head of the Palestinian negotiating team and Fatah Central Committee member, said yesterday that the PA will not accept a document without a timetable to present to Annapolis Conference. Qurei' said in a press conference with EU Commissioner for External Relations Waldner in Ramallah yesterday: There are national rights for the Palestinian people and Israel has to show commitment towards these rights and if there is a document without a timetable, there wont be any negotiations because there needs to be a timetable and an agenda with clear priorities. He said: if there is no seriousness and clarity there is no point of holding the conference; the Palestinians will not accept a document without a timetable despite the Israeli reservation on this matter, so far, our negotiations with Israel have not come close to talking about the final issues and we have not touched the core issues but we talked about the two states without the timetables that we want.

Published at Al Ayyam NewsPaper on October 31, 2007