The White House yesterday confirmed that it has opposed a meeting between President Bush and Israeli and Palestinian leaders next week in Egypt, and said the peace process can go forward even if Israel’s prime minister is ousted from office.
Experts on the Middle East, meanwhile, predicted little to no progress on the peace process during Mr. Bush’s trip to the region, and said that the Bush administration should expect little cooperation from Saudi Arabia on increasing oil production.
National Security Adviser Stephen J. Hadley told reporters that next week “did not seem the time for a big high-level, three-way event with the president and [Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas].”
“It just doesn’t feel right as the best way to advance the negotiations,” Mr. Hadley said.
Mr. Bush is visiting Israel to celebrate the Jewish state’s 60th anniversary, and then will travel to Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak reportedly had been pushing for Mr. Bush, Mr. Olmert and Mr. Abbas to meet in Egypt. However, Mr. Olmert, who appears on the verge of being indicted in connection with a corruption probe, could be forced to resign.
Mr. Hadley said peace talks that began last fall with the U.S. backing will continue.
“[Mr. Olmert] has obviously been a very important part of these peace negotiations,” he said. “But again, remember, these are negotiations going on between the government of Israel and the Palestinian administration … and they are negotiating teams that involve representatives from other members of the Israeli government on one side and other representatives in the [Palestinian Liberation Authority] on the other end.”
However, a top Palestinian negotiator said yesterday peace talks would be delayed if Mr. Olmert resigns.
Mr. Olmert and Mr. Abbas agreed last fall to reach an agreement on the contours of a Palestinian state by the end of Mr. Bush’s term, which expires in January.
Jon B. Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said that no deal will be made before Mr. Bush leaves office.
“A peace deal will not be concluded while President Bush is in office,” he said. “It’s hard to remember a less-auspicious time to pursue an Arab-Israeli peace agreement.”
During Mr. Bush’s trip to Saudi Arabia, he likely will get little cooperation from King Abdullah on increasing oil production to reduce gasoline prices, said Anthony H. Cordesman, a Middle East expert at CSIS.
Mr. Cordesman said the U.S. has little to offer the king. “We can’t deliver on peace, we can’t deliver on arms transfers, we can’t deliver on the Iraq that Saudi Arabia wants,” he said. “The market isn’t being driven by us. It’s being driven by China, by India … which guarantees a market into the long term.”
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