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Peace idea from Israel is rejected by Abbas

By WASHINGTON POST
Published January 15, 2007

RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas rejected "any temporary or transitional solutions, including a (Palestinian) state with temporary borders," throwing cold water Sunday on an idea advanced by Israel's foreign minister.

Abbas spoke at a joint news conference with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who says she is touring the region this week to listen to ideas to rekindle the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Rice said she wants to "accelerate" a three-stage U.S.-backed 2003 peace plan known as the "road map" but has been vague about what she means.

"When I say accelerate, we want to look at it and see how fast you can move," she said.

So far, Rice has been hearing conflicting advice: Israelis have touted the idea of jumping to the second stage, an interim state, and Palestinians have pressed for going to the third stage, a permanent state.

Rice, who had dinner with Jordan's King Abdullah II in Amman on Sunday and travels to Egypt today, will get yet more advice from Israel's neighbors.

Egypt and Jordan want to drop the road map and move immediately to "final status" talks, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said last week.

Rice has not tipped her hand about which approach she favors or whether she has her own ideas.

"We have heard loud and clear the call for deeper American engagement," Rice said. "You will have my commitment to do precisely that."

The road map envisions a three-stage program to create a Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The approach seeks concessions from both sides before moving to new issues.

Before Rice arrived, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni endorsed the notion of skipping some of the elements of the first phase and jumping to the second phase, which would set up a placeholder state with temporary borders.

[Last modified January 15, 2007, 01:15:05]