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Arabs Skeptical Of Peace Summit

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The Associated Press

Published: November 23, 2007

Updated: 11/23/2007 12:12 am

SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt - Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinians sought Thursday to persuade skeptical Arab nations to attend a U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference, insisting it could open the door to a Palestinian state in the next year. Saudi Arabia and Syria remain the most important holdouts.

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak held a mini-summit with the leaders of Jordan and the Palestinians in this Red Sea resort, bringing together the strongest Arab supporters of next week's conference in Annapolis, Md.

Their meeting came ahead of a key gathering of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo on Thursday night and today that will determine who will attend the conference and at what level.

So far, Saudi Arabia and Syria have appeared unconvinced the conference will bring significant peace commitments from Israel. The Saudis want a firm timetable for negotiations on the important issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while the Syrians are pressing for Annapolis to address the Israeli-held Golan Heights.

Egypt insisted Thursday that Annapolis could mark a major breakthrough.

Mubarak's spokesman Suleiman Awad said the Bush administration was "achieving progress that will pave the way to the establishment of the two states and an independent Palestinian state within the next year and before the end of Bush's term."

The United States is pushing for Saudi Arabia, which unlike Jordan and Egypt has no peace agreement or diplomatic relations with Israel, to send its foreign minister. President Bush spoke Tuesday by phone with Saudi King Abdullah.

The kingdom remained noncommittal.

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