DEBKAfile has a major report titled Rice Expands Washington Peace Conference Base, Dilutes Results
[..] Our Middle East and Washington sources disclose that, to make sure the US government understood that no Palestinian official, including prime minister Salam Fayyad, would be there, Abbas sent two secret emissaries to Washington and Paris. They reported that there is not the slightest chance of a prior Israeli-Palestinian consensus on any core issue in the next two months. Therefore, the Palestinian seats at the conference would be vacant.
[..] After turning a deaf ear not only to Abbas, but also to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, both of which prefer to stay away, she has come up with a fresh tactic. Instead of the smallish Israel-Arab forum originally planned, which she too realizes has nowhere to go, the secretary is trying to jazz the event up with momentum for a big international summit.
Now she is talking about inviting the entire Arab League, which would include Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and the Maghreb nations, as well as a couple of Muslim rulers.
Her new idea is worse than the first.
I agree with that larger the conference, the greater the chance that nothing but lip flapping will be accomplished. I also agree with H. Mubarak of Egypt that without a clear agenda, the conference is doomed to failure.
Knowing the attitude of Olmert, his not commenting on Abbas’ seeking to delay the conference until certain core issues are first agreed to is understandable.
One bright note in all of this report is that if we can take Abbas at his word, which in itself is a tall order, he does say in spite of all the talks with Olmert, nothing has been agreed to.
Is it that Olmert’s strategy is to buy time to ensure the status quo continues until different and better circumstances emerge, by appearing to bend to American pressure and acting as if Israel’s best interests are those Americans have defined for themselves, but in truth, he disagrees completely?
Given that Olmert did order the removal of the Amona Israelis, that would not appear to be the case. If Olmert truly is trying to engage in a huge giveaway to the Palestinians in return for nothing as he has been accused of, one would think that Olmert and Abbas, having been so ernestly purusing these discussions would have agreed on at least a few things.