11/30/2007 | Geneva Peace Development Centre Congratulates President Bush, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Mahmoud Abbas for Successful Annapolis Peace Conference

U.S. President George W. Bush, in a speech opening the Annapolis conference on the Middle East here on Tuesday, said Israelis and Palestinians reach an agreement to launch immediate, bilateral talks aimed at reaching a comprehensive peace deal by the end of 2008.

Reading the joint statement by the Israelis and Palestinians, President Bush said the two sides agree "to engage in vigorous, ongoing and continuous negotiations and shall make every effort to conclude an agreement before the end of 2008."

President Bush Tuesday launched his biggest initiative for Middle East peace, brushing aside skeptics by insisting the time is right for Israelis and Palestinians to end their six-decade conflict. He also dismissed suggestion that this is not the right time to re-launch the Middle East talks.

"I believe that now is precisely the right time to begin these negotiations," he said.

"The task begun here at Annapolis will be difficult. This is the beginning of the process, not the end of it, and much work remains to be done," the President added.

President Bush urged Israel and Palestine to fulfill their commitment under the "Roadmap" plan drafted by the Quartet, or the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia, in 2003.

The U.S. leader has held summit talks with the Israeli and Palestinian leaders at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, insisting that the time is right for the two sides to end the decades long conflict. For the Palestinian leaders, they "will create opportunity for all its citizens and govern justly and dismantle the infrastructure of terror," President Bush said, adding that Israeli leaders must "show the world that they are ready to begin to bring an end to the occupation that began in 1967, through a negotiated settlement."


"Israel must demonstrate its support for the creation of a prosperous and successful Palestinian state by removing unauthorized outposts, ending settlement expansion, and finding other ways for the Palestinian Authority to exercise it's responsibilities without compromising Israel's security," President Bush said.

For the United States, "America will do everything in our power to support their quest for peace, but we cannot achieve it for them. The success of these efforts will require that all parties show patience and flexibility and meet their responsibilities," the President said.

Reading the joint statement by the Israelis and Palestinians, President Bush said the two sides agree "to engage in vigorous, ongoing and continuous negotiations and shall make every effort to conclude an agreement before the end of 2008."

U.S. President George W. Bush Tuesday launched his biggest initiative for Middle East peace, brushing aside skeptics by insisting the time is right for Israelis and Palestinians to end their six-decade conflict. President Bush also dismissed suggestion that this is not the right time to re-launch the Middle East talks.

"I believe that now is precisely the right time to begin these negotiations," the President said.

"The task begun here at Annapolis will be difficult. This is the beginning of the process, not the end of it, and much work remains to be done," he added.

The President urged Israel and Palestine to fulfill their commitment under the "Roadmap" plan drafted by the Quartet, or the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia, in 2003.

The U.S. leader has held summit talks with the Israeli and Palestinian leaders at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, insisting that the time is right for the two sides to end their decades-long conflict. For the Palestinian leaders, they "will create opportunity for all its citizens and govern justly and dismantle the infrastructure of terror," President Bush said, adding that Israeli leaders must "show the world that they are ready to begin to bring an end to the occupation that began in 1967, through a negotiated settlement."

"Israel must demonstrate its support for the creation of a prosperous and successful Palestinian state by removing unauthorized outposts, ending settlement expansion, and finding other ways for the Palestinian Authority to exercise it's responsibilities without compromising Israel's security," he said.

For the United States, "America will do everything in our power to support their quest for peace, but we cannot achieve it for them. The success of these efforts will require that all parties show patience and flexibility and meet their responsibilities," the President said.

Nearly 50 countries and international organizations attended the Annapolis conference, the first such conference since the Bush administration took office in seven years.

Posted by: Ismaili.US, Fatimid Heritage Foundation

Labels: Aga Khan Fatimid Imam Caliph, Ehud Olmert, Fatimid Heritage Foundation, Fatimid Imamat Caliphate, Geneva Peace, Ismaili.US, Israel, Mahmud Abbas, Palestine, President Bush

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