Rice leaves summit with no sign of progress

By Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem

Condoleezza Rice has wound up the first US-chaired Israeli-Palestinian summit in more than three years without any clear evidence she has brought a substantive peace process any nearer.

The US Secretary of State and the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, used their last, two-hour meeting yesterday to warn the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, that neither Israel nor the US would lift its boycott of the Palestinian Authority unless a new Saudi-brokered Hamas-Fatah coalition defies predictions by signing up to international conditions set almost a year ago.

But she showed little sign of having extracted - particularly from Israel - any commitment to outlining a final deal that might be reached at the conclusion of peace negotiations. Such talks could mean eventual discussion of the most sensitive issues, Jerusalem, borders and refugees.

An anodyne statement issued after the talks said Mr Olmert and Mr Abbas would continue meeting and that they wanted "American participation" in their "move forward to peace". Ms Rice said she herself would be returning to the region soon, and added: "All three of us affirmed our commitment to a two-state solution, agreed that a Palestinian state cannot be born of violence and terror."

European politicians say Ms Rice has been seeking to focus the two sides on a possible "endgame" of talks in ways that might give Mr Abbas a political or diplomatic "horizon".

She said in an interview in yesterday's Ha'aretz that the Palestinian people could benefit "knowing there is in fact a destination" for any contacts between the sides.

She added there was nothing in the internationally agreed road-map to stop such discussion before the "many, many conditions" are fulfilled to reach such a destination.

Yesterday's statement did say that Mr Olmert and Mr Abbas had "discussed their views of the diplomatic and political horizon and how it might unfold towards the two-state vision of President Bush". And one senior Palestinian source said the wording of the statement was as expected and could herald a further, more substantive talks process.

But Mr Olmert appeared to set a narrower objective for further discussions after the summit when he told Kadima Knesset members that they would focus on "improving the quality of life of Palestinians in various areas" and aiding "the PA's war on terrorism".

The chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said the two leaders had stressed the importance of the new Saudi-brokered coalition meeting conditions for lifting the blockade originally imposed on Hamas - recognising Israel, renouncing violence, and endorsing previous agreements. Asked about the possibility of compromise, Mr Erekat said: "I don't think we have any room for manoeuvring.

A Hamas spokesman, Ismail Radwan, called on the US to recognise the coalition and said Ms Rice "did not succeed in pressuring Mr Abbas" to withdraw from it.

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