Mubarak to Blair: Arab states to hold pre-Annapolis 'mini-summit' - Haaretz

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Wed., November 21, 2007 Kislev 11, 5768

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		Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (L) and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak after a press conference in Sharm el-Sheikh on Tuesday. (AP)

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Last update - 21:28 21/11/2007

Mubarak to Blair: Arab states to hold pre-Annapolis 'mini-summit'

By Barak Ravid and Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondents and News Agencies

Tags: Annapolis, Israel

In a flurry of diplomatic activity ahead of a U.S.-sponsored Middle East peace conference next week, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Wednesday that he will on Thursday host a number of Arab leaders in Sharm el-Sheik.

Mubarak told the Middle East envoy for the Quartet of peacemakers Tony Blair that he would meet with Jordanian and Palestinian leaders on Thursday, one day before a planned meeting of the Arab League in Cairo.

The Arab League member states are expected to announce on Friday whether they will come to Annapolis next week for the international peace summit.

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Efforts to bring Saudi King Abdullah and Syrian President Bashar Assad to Sharm el-Sheik on Thursday failed apparently due to the ongoing political crisis in Lebanon in which the two countries back opposing sides.

For its part, Egypt confirmed its attendance to the Annapolis meeting in a statement Wednesday, saying Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit would attend within the framework of Egypt's enduring keenness to extend any possible support for the Palestinian cause.

Blair arrived in the Saudi capital after leaving Egypt on Wednesday, and was planning to hold talks in Riyadh with King Abdullah in efforts to persuade Arab states to attend the Annapolis peace conference next week, government sources reported.

"He was in Cairo with Mubarak ... he is trying to pull together a better picture from the Quartet's perspective of who's going to be in attendance," a European diplomat said.

"Whether it will have an impact on the Saudi position is debatable," he added.

The United States is inviting 49 countries, groups of nations, financial institutions and individuals to Annapolis.

Israel and the Palestinians received their invitations Tuesday, and the U.S. State Department said embassies elsewhere were notifying the others, asking them to send their foreign ministers or other appropriate officials to the event, aimed at relaunching negotiations for the creation of a Palestinian state. (Click here for a full list of the invitees.)

Palestinian and Egyptian sources said Tuesday that Syria and Saudi Arabia would attend the U.S.-hosted meet.

Syria and Saudi Arabia are expected to announce their level of representation at the conference within a few days, following the Arab foreign ministers' meeting at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo on Friday.

Observers believe that Syria will try to take advantage of the Annapolis summit in order to strengthen its hand internationally. "Syria will not refuse an American invitation," said a Palestinian source in Cairo. Mubarak, after meeting with Olmert on Tuesday, also said that he expects Syria to attend the conference.

Syria's Foreign Minister, Walid Moallem, paid a visit to Tehran on Tuesday. The Iranian news agency IRNA reported that Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, criticized the Annapolis summit during his meeting with Moallem, saying that the summit organizers - the Americans - "aim to connect all the Arab countries to the Zionist regime," and that the summit will only hurt the Palestinian cause. Syria's news agency reported that Iranian and Syrian officials agreed on every topic on the table, but did not elaborate.

Syria has stated that it will not attend the summit unless an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights is placed on the agenda. It is still not clear how the issue will be dealt with at the summit, but one proposal involves mentioning the matter either in the summit's opening declaration or its concluding statement. Also not yet finalized is the level of Syrian representation at the summit.

Moallem's visit to Iran comes one day after a historic meeting between Syria's president Assad and King Abdullah of Jordan, the first between the two leaders. Abdullah is considered a friend of the West, in stark comparison with Assad, who has been isolated for his ties to terrorism and Iran. Arab sources in Cairo emphasized that the significance of this meeting lies in its timing, just days before the Annapolis summit and elections in Lebanon. "Abdullah is the closest Arab figure to the United States and to Israel. By meeting with him, Assad is sending a message," one source said.

Some theorize that Syria withdrew its opposition to choosing a Lebanese presidential candidate in exchange for an invitation to Annapolis. The Lebanese election will be held Thursday, the last possible date to choose a president in accordance with the country's constitution. Lebanon's political rivals have not been able to agree on a candidate yet.

If no president is selected on Friday, it could create a political vacuum, and a subsequent crisis.

Both Egypt and Saudi Arabia have emphasized their desire for Syria to be invited to Annapolis. Both states have had tense relations with Syria, in part due to the Second Lebanon War between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Assad insulted Arab leaders across the Middle East as "half men" for their hands-off stances during the fighting.

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1.	One Week Notice?	03:42	\|	Jeff Northridge	21/11/07

2.	Amadinejad should go to Annapolis	05:34	\|	Murray of Montreal	21/11/07

3.	Sad Day in diplomacy	07:25	\|	ralphsrant1	21/11/07

4.	as I had predicted, the entire UN	09:16	\|	Cipora Julianna Kohn	21/11/07

5.	MY DEAR AMERICA	09:22	\|	Cipora Julianna Kohn	21/11/07

6.	Annapolis can brign regional peace all parties desire	09:38	\|	Ivar	21/11/07

7.	For Jeff, on one week`s notice # 1	09:47	\|	Clickfool	21/11/07

8.	#2	10:28	\|	Dav	21/11/07

9.	# 4 Everybody is out of step except Israel.	10:34	\|	Natallie Durson	21/11/07

10.	Total avoidance of the conditions on the ground	10:37	\|	Shalom Freedman	21/11/07

11.	Poor little thuggish Israel # 4	11:06	\|	Clickfool	21/11/07

12.	Shalom, you forget -only peace will stop the radicals we fear	11:19	\|	Ivar	21/11/07

13.	Ivar,like the other thread on the one state solution yours	12:57	\|	lakshmi	21/11/07

14.	#12	13:37	\|	Moshe	21/11/07

15.	#13	13:49	\|	Moshe	21/11/07

16.	Be there in prayer; all who Love Israel.	14:21	\|	Prayer Warrior	21/11/07

17.	Annapolis	15:10	\|	Blima Abramson	21/11/07

18.	PA helped Lebanon in this one. PA asked USA to invite Syria	15:25	\|	Tamir Palestine	21/11/07

19.	And remember: We pray to a God of Love. It is not wise to	15:29	\|	Prayer Warrior	21/11/07

20.	What to name it?	15:50	\|	Mark Lincoln	21/11/07

21.	# 13 lakshmi....Hamas is not invited	15:50	\|	Lynn	21/11/07

22.	His Toniness Lord Blair....	15:51	\|	Wilbur Rice	21/11/07

23.	conference location	15:57	\|	Allen	21/11/07

24.	ARAB MINI SUMMIT	16:04	\|	Brant	21/11/07

25.	Mubarak isnt going to Annapolis	16:07	\|	Mahmoud	21/11/07

26.	Discousre with who?	16:20	\|	Paul	21/11/07

27.	Prediction: Low level Arab attendance	16:25	\|	Tosefta	21/11/07

28.	Is Iran invited too?	16:29	\|	Kenny	21/11/07

29.	Israel`s enemies are aligned	16:41	\|	Sam	21/11/07

30.	The summit should be re-named	17:20	\|	Wendy	21/11/07

31.	Annapolis Summit	17:51	\|	Won	21/11/07

32.	Life support	18:48	\|	US Observer	21/11/07

33.	Clickfool #7	18:49	\|	BRL	21/11/07

34.	"Iranian and Syrian officials agreed on every topic on the table.	19:09	\|	Man deVoshkes	21/11/07

35.	5#	19:20	\|	Teacher	21/11/07

36.	Gang up on israel will be another Bush-Rice faliure	19:41	\|	bernard ross	21/11/07

37.	What to name it (Mark Lincoln #20)	19:53	\|	Tosefta	21/11/07

38.	Post #3 - Misconstruing Justice	20:21	\|	Double Click	21/11/07

39.	Post #3 - Misconstruing Justice	20:21	\|	Double Click	21/11/07

40.	take peace before its too late	20:56	\|	roberta	21/11/07

41.	#1 - Jeff Northridge	21:08	\|	MichaelF	21/11/07

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