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Israelis, Palestinians Plan Draft Of Peace Pact

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The Associated Press

Published: June 8, 2008

JERUSALEM - Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to start drafting sections of a proposed peace accord that address the main issues of their conflict, the chief Palestinian negotiator said.

Ahmed Qureia, the veteran negotiator heading the Palestinian team, said the decision did not mean agreement had been reached on the major issues: final borders, the status of disputed Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees.

Israeli government officials declined to comment.

Should negotiators agree on an issue, they will draft a single provision, Qureia said. If not, they will lay out on paper their divergent views, he added.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is headed to the region next week in an effort to push negotiations forward.

Qureia also confirmed that Israeli negotiators have offered the Palestinians land in exchange for territory where major West Bank settlements stand, but termed their offer "unacceptable."

Palestinians want to incorporate all of the West Bank into a future state, but their moderate president, Mahmoud Abbas, has acknowledged that Israel, with U.S. backing, likely would hold on to blocs where tens of thousands of settlers live. In exchange, Abbas is prepared to relinquish some West Bank land for an equal amount of Israeli territory.

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