Summit Watch: The Clock is Ticking

August 24, 2007

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian President Bashar Assad (AP)

Estimated Time Remaining: Two months, summit expected in November.

Invitations: Invitations not issued, official guest list not known.

Agenda: Agenda remains undecided. Whether will contain final status negotiations unknown.

Last Travel by Secretary Rice to Address Conference
July 30th - August 2nd: Secretary Rice visited Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the West Bank to discuss Israeli-Palestinian peace process, the upcoming summit, and to sign an $80 million assistance package for Palestinian security.

Next Travel by Secretary Rice: Unscheduled
Secretary Rice is expected to make another trip to the region sometime before the conference.

Assistant Secretary to the Near East, David Welch, will visit Oman this week to discuss Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking efforts and the war in Iraq.

Steps Taken by Other Countries
Israel is reportedly planning to arrive at the conference with an agreement with the Palestinians defining the outlines of a final status solution.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jericho on August 6th, the first of a series of meetings to prepare for the summit. Olmert was the first Israeli prime minister to visit a Palestinian town in seven years.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdul Elah Khatib discussed the summit in a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso. Khatib stressed Jordan’s support for the summit and launching serious negotiations for a Palestinian state.

Guide to Preparing International Summits



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