A three-way summit opened in Sharm El-Sheikh on Thursday 22/11/2007 grouping President Hosni Mubarak, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordanian King Abdullah II.

The summit tackled means of re-launching the stalled Mideast peace process as well as preparations for the Annapolis peace conference due on November 27 with 47 state delegations attending.

The three leaders also probed ways of easing the Palestinian people's suffering and greasing the wheel of economic development in the Palestinian territories.

"The summit was not launched from vacuum, but consultations were maintained between Mubarak and Arab leaders to reach a unified Arab stance that could help reach a solution to the Palestinian question," the presidential spokesman Soliman Awwad said.

At a press conference, Suleiman Awwad voiced hope the Annapolis conference, would help restart serious negotiations to breathe life into the stalled peace process in accordance with a set timetable and follow-up mechanisms.

Egypt had launched the peace march which has witnessed alternate progress and stalemate, he said, noting, that Cairo held contacts with all Arab, regional and international parties.

"The coming negotiations will be tough," he said.

The three leaders also exchanged views on their contacts with regional parties about the Annapolis meeting, he said, noting that they shared almost identical viewpoints in this respect.

They voiced hope the meeting would meet the aspirations of the Palestinian and Arab peoples towards the peace march, he added.

The Arabs will take part in this meeting in order to express their viewpoints, he said, noting that they should not jump to conclusions.

Asked about the Israeli Prime Minister's pledges to halt settlement activities, Awwad said Olmert spoke about this question which was an old Arab demand, hoping negotiations between the two sides would achieve progress in a way that could help establish an independent Palestinian state.

There is talk now in Washington and among the International Quartet members on the "roadmap" as a term of reference, he said, highlighting the need for both sides to commit to the roadmap, especially with regard to dismantling illegal settlements.

Awwad pointed to a proposal that a series of meetings be held after Annapolis in Arab and international capitals to review progress achieved and look into obstacles hindering negotiations and help the two sides overcome them.

The Arab follow-up committee meeting being held in Cairo Thursday tackles crystallizing a unified stance of Arab countries invited to take part in the Annapolis conference, not the Arab participation in the event, said presidential spokesman Awwad.

The spokesman noted that Arab states, including Egypt, sent several messages to the US Administration voicing hope that the conference would jump-start the Mideast peace process.

President Hosni Mubarak was the first, during a meeting with Quartet envoy Tony Blair in the summer, to stress the importance of holding intensive contacts to gear up for the conference to come up with tangible results serving the peace process.

The US invitations to states to take part in the conference reflect US President George Bush's keenness on reaching a two-state solution before the end of his term in office.

This is the first time Bush has put forth a timetable for establishing an independent Palestinian state, side by side with Israel, a move for which Mubarak has repeatedly called, said the spokesman.

The invitations have referred several times to comprehensive peace between Israel and Palestine, Syria and Lebanon.

Syria, which has been invited to attend Annapolis, is absolutely free to decide whether to attend, Awwad said.

During meetings and contacts with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Mubarak underscored the importance of Syria's participation in the coming conference.

Invitations to the Annapolis conference have also referred to United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242, 338, and 1397, which mentioned for the first time in the UN history the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, said presidential spokesman Awwad.

The invitations also touched on the Arab peace initiative, former Palestinian-Israeli agreements, the Oslo Accords as well as the land for peace principle.

Egypt has called for all this when invited by US President George Bush on July 16.

The conference could launch serious Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, which have been stalled for seven years, within a timescale with a follow-up mechanism, said Awwad, calling for a wait-and-see stance pending the outcome of the gathering.

The follow-up mechanism will remove hurdles facing the Palestinian-Israeli parleys.

The invitation sent to Egypt underlined that Cairo was an indispensable player to push forward the coming peace negotiations, said Awwad.

"Some 47 states and organizations were invited to the event," he added.

Egypt has always been present with its leverage to back the to-and-from peace process at regional and international levels, the presidential spokesman said.

Awwad voiced hope that the Palestinian and Israeli sides would reach a joint political document a head of the conference, noting that they were making progress in this respect.

"If the document was not agreed, each side would clearly spell out its stance during the gathering," he said.


"Although past experience with Israel casts aspersions on its seriousness, objectivity requires not to jump to conclusions and say that Israel is not serious and will prevaricate," said the spokesman.

"During a recent visit to Sharm El-Sheikh, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stressed that he would address the final-status issues," said Awwad.

Asked about absence of Saudi Arabia from that summit, the spokesman underlined that it is wrong to understand that absence of a party means it is not engaged in the consultations.