The
document is intended to provide guidelines for talks on the testier
sticking points, such as settlements, timelines, the role of the
international community, the fate of Jerusalem and the labeling of
Israel as a "Jewish state."
Arabs
and Palestinians have opposed calling Israel a Jewish state because,
they say, it would preclude many refugees from returning to Israel, and
the label fails to account for thousands of Arabs residing there.
The
issue of Jerusalem also poses problems. Palestinian Authority President
Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday after Bush's announcement that he will not
back down on his demand that East Jerusalem be named the capital of any
future Palestinian state. Nor will he relent on his calls for Israel to
dismantle its outposts in the West Bank, he said.
"I
must defend the right of our people to see a new dawn," Abbas said,
calling also for the release of Palestinian prisoners, the lifting of
roadblocks and the removal of what he called the "separation
wall" that surrounds the West Bank.
Israeli
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke after Abbas, saying that Israel was
"prepared to make a painful compromise, rife with risks, in order
to realize these aspirations" of peace.
Olmert
said he had "hesitations and doubts" about attending Tuesday's
summit, but Israel nonetheless "will be part of an international
mechanism" to establish the guidelines and boundaries for a future
Palestinian state.
Olmert
called on the Arab nations in attendance to also make concessions,
namely to end their boycott of Israel.
"It
does not help you, and it hurts us," Olmert said, citing his
nation's peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan as "a solid
foundation of stability and hope in our region."
Earlier,
an Israeli official attending the U.S.-brokered Mideast summit said
Israel is "ready now for a deal."
Olmert
and Abbas have "very good chemistry," the official said. The
two leaders met Monday night to hammer out a statement that could guide
peace negotiations but could not come to an agreement.
The
official said some of the 40 nations represented at the summit have
offered Israel a chilly welcome, but their participation alone is
encouraging.
"The
Saudis won't shake our hands; the Syrians won't say nice things about
us," the Israeli official said. "But they're here."
The
coming months will be crucial to the peace deal's fate, the official
said. That sentiment was echoed by Bush during remarks later in the day.
Bush
said that while Tuesday's summit is an important event, it is merely a
starting block for future negotiations that he hopes will ultimately
yield a Palestinian state existing peacefully alongside Israel.
"Today,
Palestinians and Israelis each understand that helping the other to
realize their aspirations is the key to realizing their own -- and both
require an independent, democratic, viable Palestinian state," Bush
said, explaining that a two-state solution is the path to peace for both
nations.
"Our
purpose here in Annapolis is not to conclude an agreement. Rather, it is
to launch negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians," he
said. "For the rest of us, our job is to encourage the parties in
this effort -- and to give them the support they need to succeed."
Israeli
and Palestinian officials worked late into the night Monday on the joint
agreement to dictate how negotiations would move forward, diplomats from
several delegations said.
But
the two sides disagreed on several issues and there was no guarantee
that any work plan would be agreed upon, the diplomats said. U.S.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was cautious but hopeful the parties
could finish an agreement, diplomats said.
Hamas
leader Ismail Haniyeh denounced the Annapolis summit in a televised
address Tuesday.
"The
Palestinian people will not be bound by anything the Palestinian
Authority agrees to in Annapolis," he said.
Israeli
and Palestinian leaders on Monday expressed hope and optimism that a
renewed peace effort will emerge from the conference.
Hours
apart, Olmert and Abbas
spoke to reporters alongside Bush, following separate talks at the White
House.
Abbas
said he hoped the conference would trigger expanded negotiations with
Israel that would lead to a permanent peace deal, calling the event a
"historic initiative."
Olmert
explained to reporters that this visit was different "because we're
going to have lots of participants involved."
"I
hope we're going to launch a serious process of negotiations between us
and the Palestinians," said Olmert.
"This will be a bilateral process
but the international support is very important."
Representatives
of more than 40 countries, including a wide array of Arab nations such
as Syria and Saudi Arabia, are attending the conference at the U.S.
Naval Academy.
The
talks come amid domestic distractions for both Olmert's government and
that of Abbas. Abbas has been involved in a political power struggle
against Gaza-based leaders of Hamas, a group that Israel considers
terrorist and which opposes the Jewish state.
Palestinian
protesters, anxious about possible concessions by the Abbas delegation,
have taken to the streets with demonstrations.
Olmert's
administration has been plagued by low approval ratings in opinion polls
in the wake of Israel's 2006 war against Lebanon-based Hezbollah
militants.
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CNN's
Zain Verjee and Jill Dougherty contributed to this report.
