Annapolis peace conference

Annapolis peace conference

November 27, 2007

Information about peace conference will follow moderators comments:

I do hope some one at the State department is willing to push the REFRESH button and start thinking afresh. It takes courage and guts, and without it, nothing in the world has ever been achieved.

The most important party to peace making is the ones that affected and the ones who can make a difference. Mother Teresa said “If you want peace, to talk with your enemies, you don’t make peace with friends”.

I do hope the state department brings people who are willing to speak out, and speak up. If they bring the puppets and make decisions, they won't last longer. They need to bring Hamas into the picture without them in the equation we will not succeed.

All our efforts to place wedges between Abbas and Hamas shows our desperation to do something. We cannot bring peace when still a party to the conflict is not part of the solution. I have spoken against the agenda of Hamas, but if we need peace, a geunine one, they need to ba part of the equation.

Please push the refresh button of your mind.

Mike Ghouse

Annapolis peace conference Nov. 27

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/11_20-24/OUD

The much-anticipated Annapolis peace conference apparently has shrunk to a one-day affair, to be held next Tuesday at the Naval Academy.

To prepare for the international event, Annapolis flags will be replaced by American flags throughout the town starting tomorrow, according to a spokesman for the mayor.
"We are proud to host the conference on behalf of America, not just the city of Annapolis," said Karen Engelke, special projects coordinator for Mayor Ellen O. Moyer. "We want to have the welcome mat out."

Even though the State Department is keeping all information about the conference under wraps - even the dates - the Associated Press cites department sources in reporting that the conference will be held on Tuesday. It is being orchestrated by the United States to help Israel and the Palestinians inch their way toward a lasting peace. The Bush administration announced the conference in September.

The conference will be held in between meetings in Washington, the AP reported. The primary guests are the Israelis and the Palestinians, and the Bush administration also is inviting Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria and key international players in the peace process.

But with only a week to go, the State Department still is keeping the conference under tight wraps.

"We have not announced the dates. When we announce the dates, we will announce them," State
Department spokesman Leslie Phillips said yesterday.

Naval Academy officials weren't releasing any information, either.

"When they confirm it, they confirm it, and I guess all the dates will fall into place," Naval Academy spokesman Deborah Goode said in referring a reporter's inquiry to the State Department.

Local police officers also aren't saying much about their role in providing security during the conference.

"We have agreed to provide personnel resources to the Diplomatic Security service. At this time, we are in the planning phase, so I cannot confirm number of personnel and/or the dates," Anne Arundel County Police Department spokesman Sgt. Sara Schriver said this morning.

A spokesman for the Maryland State Police Annapolis Barrack said troopers will be helping, but he declined to say how many, or when, or what they will be doing.

Ms. Engelke, of the Mayor's Office, said only two groups have applied for special events permits.
Shalom International, based in Miami Beach, Fla., has applied for a permit to hold a "Jerusalem Isn't for Sale - Defend Jerusalem" rally at Gate 1 of the Naval Academy Monday and Tuesday, and America for a Safe Israel, with its headquarters in New York City, plans to have a First Amendment rally on Monday afternoon.

According to permit applications, the rally by Shalom International is expected to attract "100 but this could easily get bigger given the politics."

Robert Kunst, president of Shalom International, said his group will rally outside the White House on Sunday, and outside Gate 1 at the Naval Academy on Monday and Tuesday, even if the conference isn't held on the expected date.

"It is a rally to stop Munich II - Munich I was when they gave the Sudetenland to (Adolph) Hitler in 1938, which started World War II" and the Holocaust, Mr. Kunst said.

A spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Ibrahim Hooper, told The Capital that responsibility for peace rests with Israel.

"Unless the Israelis are serious about promoting justice for the Palestinian people and about freedom from occupation, I don't see much coming out of the conference," Mr. Hooper said.

He said Israel's government uses demonstrations by a handful of anti-Palestinian radicals as an excuse to continue its abuse of Palestinians.

As preparation for the conference, the Israeli cabinet on Monday approved the release of 441 Palestinian prisoners and pledged not to build any new settlements in the West Bank, according to the Associated Press. But, Israel stopped short of American demands to halt construction in existing settlements before the crucial conference.

Israel is holding as prisoner an estimated 9,000 Palestinians, and Palestinian leaders had asked for 2,000 to be freed.

The head of the Anti-Defamation League told The Capital the conference may accomplish a lot, even though it will be shorter and less dramatic than most peace talks.

League National Director Abraham H. Foxman said the most important thing the conference can accomplish, realistically, is to get the sides to agree to meet and talk some more.

The key indicator is whether surrounding Arab countries agree to participate in the talks, Mr. Foxman said.

"The measure of success will be who comes, more than what they achieve," he said.

Experts said Israel regards the upcoming conference only as a ceremonial launching pad for new peace efforts, while the Palestinians want a more detailed plan for how future post-conference talks will proceed.

At the Naval Academy, no major schedule changes have been made for next week for the 4,400-member Brigade of Midshipmen, an academy spokesman said yesterday. The mids will get off a little past noon tomorrow, and will have liberty on Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving, but will be back in class on Monday.

Staff Writer Heather Rawlyk and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

- No Jumps-

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Peace Burden on Israel

http://www.cair.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?mid1=674&&ArticleID=23799&&name=n&&currPage=1

The much-anticipated Annapolis peace conference apparently has shrunk to a one-day affair, to be held next Tuesday at the Naval Academy.

To prepare for the international event, Annapolis flags will be replaced by American flags throughout the town starting tomorrow, according to a spokesman for the mayor.

"We are proud to host the conference on behalf of America, not just the city of Annapolis," said Karen Engelke, special projects coordinator for Mayor Ellen O. Moyer. "We want to have the welcome mat out."

Even though the State Department is keeping all information about the conference under wraps - even the dates - the Associated Press cites department sources in reporting that the conference will be held on Tuesday. It is being orchestrated by the United States to help Israel and the Palestinians inch their way toward a lasting peace. The Bush administration announced the conference in September.

The conference will be held in between meetings in Washington, the AP reported. The primary guests are the Israelis and the Palestinians, and the Bush administration also is inviting Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria and key international players in the peace process. . .

According to permit applications, the rally by Shalom International is expected to attract "100 but this could easily get bigger given the politics."

Robert Kunst, president of Shalom International, said his group will rally outside the White House on Sunday, and outside Gate 1 at the Naval Academy on Monday and Tuesday, even if the conference isn't held on the expected date.

"It is a rally to stop Munich II - Munich I was when they gave the Sudetenland to (Adolph) Hitler in 1938, which started World War II" and the Holocaust, Mr. Kunst said.

A spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Ibrahim Hooper, told The Capital that responsibility for peace rests with Israel.

"Unless the Israelis are serious about promoting justice for the Palestinian people and about freedom from occupation, I don't see much coming out of the conference," Mr. Hooper said.

He said Israel's government uses demonstrations by a handful of anti-Palestinian radicals as an excuse to continue its abuse of Palestinians.