Abbas: Peace deal with Israel unlikely this year

Or next year or even next 1 billion years.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas doubts that any peace agreement can be reached by the end of 2008, as not one of the six key issues in a final-status arrangement has yet been resolved.

Speaking to Haaretz on the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Oslo Accords, Abbas said that Washington plays a central role in the peace process. Senior American officials are anxious to reach an agreement by the end of the year and are convinced this is possible.
However, the gaps between the parties remain wide.

"We presented our ideas and demands regarding the six issues," Abbas stated, "but have not received any answer from the Israeli side."

Among other things, the Palestinians are demanding negotiations over disputed lands claimed by both sides, such as the Latrun region, as part of their demand for an Israeli withdrawal from the entire West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, subject to territorial swaps.

Regarding the refugees, the Palestinian president said: "We understand that if all five million refugees return to their homes, the State of Israel will be destroyed." Nonetheless, he added, Israel must discuss both its responsibility for the refugee problem and a practical right of return.

"Palestinians who do not return to Israel will be able to return to Palestine," he continued. He also said a solution to the refugee problem would be based on the Arab peace initiative of 2002, which stated that the solution must be based on United Nations Resolution 194, but acceptable to the land thieves.