Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian President Bashar Assad (AP)
Date: November 27, 2007
Location: U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland
Invitations: Invitations have been issued to a group of 49 countries and international organizations, including Israeli Prime Minister Olmert, Palestinian Authority President and Chairman of the PLO Mahmoud Abbas, members of the Quartet (U.S., EU, UN, Russia), Arab League Follow-up Committee, the G-8, permanent members of the UN Security Council, and other key international actors.
The invited members of the Arab League are the Secretary- General Amr Moussa, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
Attendees: All invitees are expected to attend the conference, including Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister and Syria’s Deputy Foreign Minister. All countries will be represented at the ministerial level. Israel and the Palestinian Authority are represented by their Prime Minister and President, respectively.
Final Preparation:
November 25 – Condoleezza Rice led a final round of talks with Israeli Foreign Minister and lead negotiator Tzipi Livni and senior Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qorei aimed at drafting a joint statement of principles ahead of the conference.
November 26 – On Monday, the Arab foreign ministers are expected to finalize their positions ahead of the conference. Abbas and the three Israeli ministers are also expected to meet separately with President Bush. Secretary Rice plans to meet with leaders of the Quartet to discuss the conference’s schedule and the Quartet’s role in moving the peace process forward after Annapolis.
Agenda:
November 26 – Rice will host a dinner with all conference participants; Secretary Rice and President Bush are planned to deliver speeches.
November 27 – The conference will begin at 10 a.m. with a meeting between Bush, Olmert, and Abbas, after which each leader will give a speech. A working lunch hosted by Secretary Rice will follow. In the afternoon three 90-minute plenary sessions will be held. The topics will include “Looking at Economic Development,” “Institutional Reform and Capacity Building,” and a final session to discuss “Comprehensive Peace.” The plenary sessions will include speeches by conference representatives in order of rank beginning with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
November 28 – The discussions will move to Washington where Olmert and Abbas will each meet separately with Bush to discuss the subsequent steps to be taken. Additional bilateral meetings also will be possible.
Guide to Preparing International Summits
