“We do not want to upset the timetable we have for implementation of disengagement,” Olmert said Saturday. Blair is scheduled to meet with Olmert and with Palestinian Authority (PA) leaders this week.
Bearing out Olmert’s fears were statements from a PA official to a British newspaper that “Israel wants to talk only about its disengagement plan from Gaza” while the PA demands a halt to building the security fence and to additional construction in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza (Yesha).
Olmert said that Israel was concerned that Blair’s proposed Mideast conference in London would lead in the wrong direction. His statements contradicted weekend reports from England that Israel supported a summit meeting. Nevertheless, Olmert praised Blair whom he said is held in “high esteem” by Israel and the PA.
Any conference at this time should be confined to issues concerning PA reforms and not further Israeli concessions, Olmert added. He said an open-ended summit would give the PA a forum, to demand “final status" concessions, although he said that if the disengagement is carried out successfully, “the sky is the limit.”
Olmert also praised PA leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), the PLO Fatah party candidate for president in the January 9 elections. “We hope that Abu Mazen will indeed stop (violence), that he will have the power to do it and that no one will kill him trying to do it.”
Bearing out Olmert’s fears were statements from a PA official to a British newspaper that “Israel wants to talk only about its disengagement plan from Gaza” while the PA demands a halt to building the security fence and to additional construction in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza (Yesha).
Olmert said that Israel was concerned that Blair’s proposed Mideast conference in London would lead in the wrong direction. His statements contradicted weekend reports from England that Israel supported a summit meeting. Nevertheless, Olmert praised Blair whom he said is held in “high esteem” by Israel and the PA.
Any conference at this time should be confined to issues concerning PA reforms and not further Israeli concessions, Olmert added. He said an open-ended summit would give the PA a forum, to demand “final status" concessions, although he said that if the disengagement is carried out successfully, “the sky is the limit.”
Olmert also praised PA leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), the PLO Fatah party candidate for president in the January 9 elections. “We hope that Abu Mazen will indeed stop (violence), that he will have the power to do it and that no one will kill him trying to do it.”