Friday, February 08, 2008

Palestinian PM sees no '08 Israel accord

By Ed Stoddard | Reuters, Feb 7, 2008

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said on Thursday a lasting peace accord with Israel was unlikely in 2008 despite renewed diplomatic efforts to resolve the long-running conflict.

In an interview with Reuters in the Texas capital, Austin, where he is on a private visit, he highlighted the lack of progress on the issue of Israeli settlements and military incursions into the West Bank as among the chief obstacles in the "road map" to peace and Palestinian statehood.

"I do not believe though that the final resolution ... will be complete in the course of this year. I don't think that is likely," Fayyad said.

On a trip to the Middle East last month, U.S. President George W. Bush said he believed a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians would be signed before he leaves office in January 2009.

Continued . . .

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