14 months before the end of the term of office of US President George W. Bush the United States came to end the state of negligence which lasted for almost seven years concerning the Palestinian issue.

The US called for holding the Annapolis peace conference scheduled for today.

This conference is basically held to carry out Bush's visualization on the setting up of two democratic states living side by side in peace.

Technically speaking no one could cast doubts on the logic of the Bush visualizations, especially as Arabs and Palestinians targeted the setting up of the Palestinian independent state and that Arabs and Palestinians are calling for a time table to the negotiations.

Egypt has clearly said that the holding of Annapolis itself is not a big accomplishment, but it is a good step and what matters is what to be ensued of other steps which should be positive and aimed at setting up the Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank.

Egypt stressed the need that Annapolis references should be based on the rules of international law, UN General Assembly resolutions and that the Roadmap plan is sort of implementation mechanism and not a reference.

In light of the Egyptian views, the Annapolis conference hopefully should stipulate a series of serious negotiations on the final status situation and within an agreed upon mechanism those negotiations should reach an agreement within a year time.

This would help having a successful conference as the situation in the Middle East does not tolerate any longer evasiveness or procrastination.

As a matter of fact, Annapolis conference is to be a turning point in stipulating the setting up of the Palestinian independent state; otherwise, the whole region would go to the quagmire of anarchy and disturbances.

The Israeli stance would basically be responsible for the success or failure of this conference, but the officials and media in Israel looked pessimistic concerning the success of this peace conference.

Israeli Yediot Aharanot described the conference as of low expectations.

Israel believes that this conference would not work out along the road of solving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

This can clearly be deducted from the fact that no agreement reached by the two parties on the joint Palestinian-Israeli document which is supposed to be referred to the Annapolis conference due to the tough stance of Israel and its evasiveness.

This is due to the fragile Israeli coalition headed by Ehud Olmert.

Olmert's partners are threatening him of withdrawal from the coalition if Olmert adopted any real measure for peace with Palestinians.

That is why Israel evades committing itself to a time table for negotiations.

If we wanted this Annapolis conference to succeed intents should be truthful concerning bringing about peace.

This means that Israeli settlements should be suspended and attacks on Gaza and the West Bank should stop, and Palestinians in Israeli jails should be released.

Without this the Annapolis conference would not workout.

In fact, the Palestinian President was right when he said upon arrival in Washington for the conference, we have just eight months to achieve peace and establish the Palestinian independent state.

This means that the Palestinian side has adopted a time table for the final status solution negotiations and will not fall in the trap of Israeli evasiveness.