New York – As world leaders gathered in New York on Monday to discuss climate change ahead of the annual U.N. General Assembly, President Bush got an immediate reminder Monday of the difficulty of breathing new life into the Mideast peace process when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas insisted a U.S.-brokered conference should deal with “issues of substance.”
The Palestinians and Israelis can’t even agree on an agenda for the international session, expected to be held in the U.S. in November.
Palestinians want it to produce an outline for a peace deal, while the Israelis want more vague declarations.
Appearing before reporters with Abbas after an hour-long meeting that also included Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, Bush didn’t mention the conference.
He promised the United States “will be a strong partner” in establishing an independent state for Palestinians.
“I believe that the vision of two states side by side in peace is achievable,” Bush said.
But Abbas said the meeting should be the precursor to “full negotiations on the permanent status.”
