Arab Nations To Attend Peace Conference

Saudi Minister Announces He’ll Come To U.S.-Sponsored Middle East Event

(CBS/AP)  Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations decided to attend next week's U.S.-sponsored Middle East peace conference, but the Saudi foreign minister insisted he would not allow "theatrics" like handshakes with Israeli officials, saying the gathering must make serious progress.

Participation by Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal was a key goal of the United States to show strong Arab support for the conference in Annapolis, Maryland, which is to re-launch Israeli-Palestinian peace talks for the first time in seven years.

Until Friday, the kingdom had balked at saying whether it would attend and at what level, seeking assurances Israel would negotiate the most difficult issues of the Arab-Israeli conflict in negotiations governed by a timetable.

It appeared Syria - the other major holdout - would also attend, since the Arab decision was a collective one. But, asked about Syria's attendance, Arab League chief Amr Moussa said "final arrangements" had to be made. Syria has insisted Annapolis address its demands for the return of the Israeli-held Golan Heights.

The U.S.-backed peace conference in Annapolis will be the first fully-fledged Middle East peace talks since 2000, when former president Bill Clinton hosted a meeting between Israeli and Palestinian leaders at Camp David, CBS News producer George Baghdadi reports from Damascus.

Al-Faisal told a press conference that an Arab League meeting Friday had decided that Arab countries will attend Annapolis at the level of foreign minister.

"I'm not hiding any secret about the Saudi position. We were reluctant until today. And if not for the Arab consensus we felt today, we would not have decided to go," al-Faisal said. "But the kingdom would never stand against an Arab consensus, as long as the Arab position has agreed on attending, the kingdom will walk along with its brothers in one line."

But he cautioned, "We are not prepared to take part in a theatrical show, in handshakes and meeting that don't express political positions. We are going with seriousness and we work on the same seriousness and credibility."

Asked if Syria would attend as well, Moussa said "Syria's foreign minister was present" at the discussions and "the decision is a joint decision."

But, he added, "we are waiting for final arrangements and it will take place in the additional talks," which will take place in a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Washington on Monday, a day before the Annapolis conference. It was not clear if the comments meant Syria could still decide not to attend or to send a lower-level representative.

Saudi Arabia, which does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, has feared that the conference would become little more than a photo op, cornering it into high-profile public contacts with Israel without a guarantee of concessions from the Jewish state.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters Wednesday that other disputed issues could be raised at Annapolis, including the Golan Heights. Indeed, one of the three sessions to be held at the conference's plenary session on Tuesday will deal with comprehensive peace, Baghdadi reports.

"Syria's taking part in any conference or meeting on peace in the region is conditioned to the inclusion of the issue of the Golan on its agenda as well as the Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Arab territories until June 4th 1967 line," said Minister of Information Mohsen Bilal in a lecture at Damascus University on Wednesday.

The kingdom was looking for an Israeli commitment that Israeli-Palestinian negotiations will tackle the core, most difficult issues of the conflict, such as final borders of a Palestinian state, the status of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees.

But in the end, it is going without a guarantee of getting those commitments in writing.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has sought to reassure Arab nations, saying negotiations would address the core issues and that a deal could be reached in 2008. But Israel has opposed a formal timetable for talks and the specific mention of the major issues in a joint declaration that is expected to be issued at Annapolis.

Israel welcomed the news that al-Faisal would attend. "We are happy ... that they (the Saudis) feel a need to have representation at a significant level," Miri Eisin, spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said. "We are happy that they are involved and are showing support for the process to make sure it goes forward."

Saudi Arabia, as well as Syria, attended the 1991 Madrid peace conference that brought together Israel and Arab countries. But the kingdom and other Arab nations have been cautious over any steps that would be seen as "naturalization" with Israel before it returns Arab lands seized in the 1967 war.

The Arab League decision, made after intense discussions late Thursday and Friday, meant that the members of a league committee tasked earlier this year with dealing with the peace process will attend Annapolis. Those countries include Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen.

Much of the day's talks were focused on trying to persuade Damascus that the Annapolis conference would at least in some way address the Golan issue. The league gathering sent a joint letter to Washington demanding that the conference deal with relaunching negotiations between Israel and Syria, which wants the full return of the Golan in return for peace.

"We are waiting for the American response," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem told reporters earlier Friday, adding that the response would decide whether Syria would attend the conference or not. "What would be the importance of Syria participation if Golan wasn't part of the agenda?"

At Friday's meeting, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for the inclusion of the Syrian track at Annapolis.

Nimr Hamad, an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said that the priority of the Annapolis conference is for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, "without exluding the Syrian and Lebanese angles."

He said there is a proposal to hold a second conference in several months in Moscow to launch Syrian-Israeli peace negotiations.

According to Arab diplomats, while Washington's invitation did not specifically call for resumption of negotiations on the Golan, it referred to U.N. resolutions concerning the Arab-Israeli conflict as well as the 2002 Arab peace initiative, which calls for a return for Arab lands seized in 1967 in return for full peace with Israel.

Earlier this week, Rice said there would be room at Annapolis to talk about the Golan.

[patriotic9]

Why do all of the Saudi-sponsored Arabs posting here have all-American, Mom-and-apple-pie names like bluestardad, feelfree1, patriotic9, MCVet etc. etc?

Negotiating with Moslems is a complete waste of time, anyway.
Posted by juwboy at 05:33 AM : Nov 24, 2007


It doesn''t matter who is a CHRISTIAN, JEW, MOSLEM, HINDU, BUDHIST, etc.

What really matters is who is loyal to United States and who is not.

There is no reason why AMERICANS should be treated as GOD-NEGLECTED and NON-AMERICANS as GOD-CHOSEN, why United States should be treated as UNHOLY LAND and aa NON-AMERICAN LAND far away from the CONCENTRATION CAMPS should be treated as a HOLY LAND.

Why do you think, we shouldn%u2019t help ARABS in the destruction of ISRAEL to enjoy OIL in cheap price?

Why do you think we should protect existence of ISRAEL far away from the CONCENTRATION CAMPS in GERMANY to buy HATRED, TERRORISM and 9/11 against UNHOLY LAND UNITED STATES and GOD-NEGLECTED AMERICANS?

Do you care about GOD-NEGLECTED AMERICANS and UNHOLY LAND UNITED STATES?

[juwboy]

Why do all of the Saudi-sponsored Arabs posting here have all-American, Mom-and-apple-pie names like bluestardad, feelfree1, patriotic9, MCVet etc. etc?

Negotiating with Moslems is a complete waste of time, anyway.

Under the Islamic concept of Al-Taqqiyeh, lying to non-Moslem infidels is not just permitted, it''s ENCOURAGED.

Over the centuries, numerous Islamic "scholars" have confirmed that LYING to infidels isn''t a sin, it IS A VIRTUE.

[jerr11]

RON PAUL IS THE SPAM WAY
What we need is a President who will show us the way. Not the old way. Not the same way, but a SPAM way. Think about this for a minute. What if we send out billions of spam from South Korea? They''ve been there for 50+ years. What if we quit worrying about making sense, but instead, realized that we could spam the world? What if we sent all this spam to the Middle-East, and brought them all home? What if we realistically sent out a National Spam, and paid attention to REALLY DOING SOMETHING about sending out more spam? These are the ideas of Presidential candidate, Ron Paul. He''s a one term Congressman and a physician who has sent out over 4,000 spam. He''s an intellectual who''s published four books, three of which are devoted entirely to spam and one on how to sound like a dead fu*ck. He was raised on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania as a pious Lutheran, but now he just send out spam on Sundays. Paul is given to sending spam on other days too Whenever he recollects the spam he sent on Tuesdays he laments, "They were gung-ho. I''ve often thought about how many of that spam never came back." Candidates with the high level of spamming ability and proven track record of sending out billions of spam, Congressman Paul has always demonstrated only come around once in a lifetime, if we''re lucky.

[greatprophet]

IS RUDY GIULIANI AL QAEDA?
How much exactly would it cost to get Rudy Giuliani to holster his overdone 9/11 sanctimony? The government for the tiny Persian Gulf nation of Qatar might have a good idea. Following earlier reports that Giuliani was still getting paid by a consulting firm he created, Giuliani Partners LLC, Mary Jacoby of the Wall Street Journal sheds light on some potentially problematic sources of Giuliani''s private income. Chief among them is Qatar, the U.S. ally that paid Giuliani Partners for "security advice" regarding their petroleum facilities. The article uncovers a "potential political pitfall" for Giuliani''s candidacy and image given Qatar''s spotty record in fighting Al Qaeda, but it stops short of explicitly addressing aspects of the business arrangement that could dog Giuliani during his quest for the presidency. Specifically, the ostensible chief consumer of Giuliani''s security advice in this case would be Qatar''s Internal Security Ministry, currently headed by a known Al Qaeda associate. As reported earlier this year, Qatar Interior Minister Abdullah bin Khalid Al-Thani has long had ties to top Al Qaeda operatives including Osama Bin Laden, and is believed by many U.S. officials to have personally arranged the narrow escape of Al Qaeda big-wig Khalid Sheikh Mohammed from U.S. agents in 1996, thereby ensuring his freedom to mastermind the 9/11 attacks. Giuliani''s has refused to release specifics of the case, and to-date remains on the firm''s payroll.

[truthprophet]

IS RUDY GIULIANI AL QAEDA?
How much exactly would it cost to get Rudy Giuliani to holster his overdone 9/11 sanctimony? The government for the tiny Persian Gulf nation of Qatar might have a good idea. Following earlier reports that Giuliani was still getting paid by a consulting firm he created, Giuliani Partners LLC, Mary Jacoby of the Wall Street Journal sheds light on some potentially problematic sources of Giuliani''s private income. Chief among them is Qatar, the U.S. ally that paid Giuliani Partners for "security advice" regarding their petroleum facilities. The article uncovers a "potential political pitfall" for Giuliani''s candidacy and image given Qatar''s spotty record in fighting Al Qaeda, but it stops short of explicitly addressing aspects of the business arrangement that could dog Giuliani during his quest for the presidency. Specifically, the ostensible chief consumer of Giuliani''s security advice in this case would be Qatar''s Internal Security Ministry, currently headed by a known Al Qaeda associate. As reported earlier this year, Qatar Interior Minister Abdullah bin Khalid Al-Thani has long had ties to top Al Qaeda operatives including Osama Bin Laden, and is believed by many U.S. officials to have personally arranged the narrow escape of Al Qaeda big-wig Khalid Sheikh Mohammed from U.S. agents in 1996, thereby ensuring his freedom to mastermind the 9/11 attacks. Giuliani''s has refused to release specifics of the case, and to-date remains on the firm''s payroll.

[greatprophet]

U.S. WAR WITH IRAN?
When I consider the prospect of a War with Iran, I wonder whether or not another major power might be inclined to side with Iran and oppose us. 10% of China''s exports go to Iran and 12% of Germany''s. Also, many countries, including China, are heavily dependent on the 2,836,000 barrels of oil Iran exports everyday. Not a problem. I''m sure those folks won''t mind riding bikes until the war is over. As far as the Iranians are concerned, I''m sure they''re just dying (no pun intended) to be invaded, er, I mean "liberated" by Americans, considering the horrid 70% approval rating of Ahmadinejad and the terrible $8,700 gross domestic product per capita there (8.6% better than China). I''m sure we''ll be welcomed in the streets after we "shock and awe" their all important looking buildings to Jahannum and back. When I compare U.S. military numbers with Iran''s, what I find is truly alarming. The U.S. has 2.37 million soldiers ready for combat. Let''s compare that with little ol'' Iran, which has more soldiers available for combat than any country in the entire world. Actually, Iran has more combat-ready soldiers (11.7 million) than China and Russia combined. Talk about hell! The bottom line is that America can''t even handle Iraq. At one point, we thought we could rush in, smite some nubs with dirks and bubble on back home in time to catch the next season of American Idol, but it didn''t quite work-out that way. Did it? With Iran, reality is going to hurt a lot more.

[truthprophet]

YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES
America is tipping way too far back in her easy chair. Something BIG is about to happen, and I predict this upcoming 2008 Presidential Election will be extremely pivotal. I''m not going to name any candidates. You probably already know who my favorite one is. But let me make my point absolutely clear: If you think times are boring, think again. If you think the future is predictable, think again. My advice to everyone who reads this is to be thoughtful. Trust only that wisdom which is your own. 90% of mainstream media in this country is controlled by fewer than 20 different organizations. Unfortunately, they, like the sold-out political ****** who pretend tp serve us in Washington, were bought and paid for by the military-industrial-pharmacutical complex decades ago. Therefore, mainsteam media will paint pictures they want to paint, and people will open their minds to pictures they want to see. So, be skeptical. Be wise. Research issues and talking points on your own, and share what you learn with those you love. The future of your family tree may lay in the balance.

[greatprophet]

HOPE FOR AMERICA: PRESIDENT RON PAUL

-- No more meddling in other country''s political affairs
-- No more aggressive military actions overseas
-- No more torture prisons
-- No more pseudo-wars like the "War on Drugs"
-- No more IRS and unconstitutional income taxes
-- No more Federal Reserve (the group of private banks which owns our government)
-- No more erosion of Social Security to pay for militarization
-- No more U.N. (one world government) participation
-- No more NAFTA, CAFTA, WTO or GATT (globalist trade cartels)
-- No more North American Union (loss of U.S. sovereignty)
-- No more federal gun control laws
-- No more illegal aliens pouring-in over our country''s borders
-- No more illegal aliens allowed to roam freely in our streets
-- No more national ID cards (Real ID Act)
-- No more government invasion of your privacy
-- No more federal Laws which force you to take unwanted injections
-- No more federal Laws which are not authorized by The Constitution
-- No more federal erosion of State sovereignty
-- No more unlimited federal government

They don''t call him "Dr. No" for no reason. The Doctor is in! Find-out what CBS hides from you, and join us in this 21st Century political revolution at ronpaul2008.com

"Those who expect to reap the blessing of freedom must undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
- Thomas Paine

"Ron Paul doesn''t represent your Father''s school of political thought. He represents your Founding Fathers."
- Me

[patriotic9]

Do you know why Larry Craig was tapping his foot in the bathroom?

Why Foley was harassing a little boy on the Internet?

Why Bill O''rielly (Champion of CHRISTIAN FAMILY VALUE) was sexually harassing a female at work and why he paid her $10 Million to keep her mouth shut?

Because JESUS died for their SINS.

[patriotic9]

Why do you think, we shouldn%u2019t help ARABS in the destruction of ISRAEL to enjoy OIL in cheap price?

Why do you think we should protect existence of ISRAEL far away from the CONCENTRATION CAMPS in GERMANY to buy HATRED, TERRORISM and 9/11 against UNHOLY LAND UNITED STATES and GOD-NEGLECTED AMERICANS?

[patriotic9]

Not all Muslim''''s are Terrorist''''s, However, most terrorist''''s are Muslim.

Posted by republic1776 at 07:03 PM : Nov 23, 2007

When GEN Tommy Franks visited Saudi Arabia and met with then Crown Prince Abdullah (current king), he was told by Abdullah;
"American can have many friends in the Arab world, Isreal divide us".

My point is, why we should make people in the Middle East our enemies and buy HATRED, TERRORISM and 9/11 against our nation for a NON-AMERICAN CAUSE, NON-AMERICAN PEOPLE and a NON-AMERICAN LAND.

United states is founded on the principle of Liberty and Justice for all.

If Hitler was responsible for killing of innocent people in Europe, there is no reason why those Palestinians should pay the price who can''''t even speak the language spoken by Hitler.

If CONCENTRATION CAMPS were in GERMANY, there is no reason why ISRAEL should be founded in a completely different country in Palestine far away from the CONCENTRATION CAMPS in GERMANY.

In the name of CHRISTIANITY, Americans have been forced to support the occupation of not only PALESTINE but the whole region between EUPHRATE IN IRAQ to NILE IN EGYPT and give that land (promised land) to those who have been chosen by their god because of the RACE or FAMILY they are born in.

This RACISM and INJUSTICE practised in the name of CHRISTIANITY is the main reason for HATRED and TERRORISM against our nation which is un-acceptable.

[bigpecker4]

Israel and Arabia is proof positive politics don''t work.

[bigpecker4]

Answer? We don''t. And they don''t. We''re being robbed.

[bigpecker4]

Well, first of all: How is anybody besides a religious American lunatic to know anything about a country 10,000 miles away? And why should they?

And second of all: Why do they need us? 10,000 ******** miles away! To negotiate THEIR PEACE!?

[republic1776]

Peace won''t happen. There has been terrorist''s since the beginning of man in this region.
Not all Muslim''s are Terrorist''s, However, most terrorist''s are Muslim.

[erikdiamond]

It won''t work. Israel will be in trouble.

[gaye5]

Arab Nations To Attend Peace Conference..

It wont work, all it does is give them more time to get ready and to multiply in the lands of the infidels...so that as the quran says, when the time is right and they are called????
Their weaponry is not yet full enough..

And oh by the way, we now have carols, nativity scenes, father Christmas etc back in Australia.. it might offend a few but they came to live here and not having them offends a nation..
It was fantastic though as it meant that Christmas no longer had any meaning and therefor the population had no reason to buy presents etc, once this took hold, it would have saved us so much money..

[rushlimpdrug]

Posted by Abdoul_Pasha

muslimes work?

[gaye5]

jerr11, terrorizing does work, see how everyone gives into them.. In schools and preschools and shopping centers, they get angry when we have our Christmas carols, nativity scenes, easter, grace before a meal and here in OZ they even complained that it offended them that we had father Christmas in pre schools, so guess what happened in many places all this was stopped just to appease Muslims.. They know that terrorism works they have been doing it for 1400 years..Mohammad himself said that a terrorized people are easier to conquer.

[gaye5]

superdem, when are you going to go back to live where your ancestors came from... WELL!!, didn''t Americans take the land from the Indians????
Just as Mohammad took the land from the Jews which as happens in war.. but now Israel has a portion of this area which is the size of lake Michigan.. If you knew your history, much of it was brought from the Arabs (unlike what Mohammad did to the Jews, see below) who were happy to take money from the stupid Jews because they didn''t think that it was worth much, now that they see it blooming they want it..

Qur%u2019an 33:26 %u201CAllah made the Jews leave their homes by terrorizing them so that you killed some and made many captive. And He made you inherit their lands, their homes, and their wealth. He gave you a country you had not traversed before.%u201D


Qur%u2019an 59:2 %u201CIt was Allah who drove the [Jewish] People of the Book from their homes and into exile. They refused to believe and imagined that their strongholds would protect them against Allah. But Allah came at them from where they did not suspect, and filled their hearts with terror. Their homes were destroyed. So learn a lesson, O men who have eyes. This is My warning%u2026they shall taste the torment of Fire.%u201D

Tabari VIII:143 %u201CIn this year a twenty-four man raiding party led by Shuja went to the Banu Amir. He launched a raid on them and took camels and sheep