Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Thursday that U.S. President George W. Bush should not convene his planned Mideast peace conference next month if Israel and the Palestinians have not achieved an agreement in advance.
Erekat was interviewed by Israel's Channel 10 TV. He said then-President Bill Clinton convened an Israeli-Palestinian summit in July 2000 that broke up without agreement, and violence erupted three months later. Lack of proper preparation for the summit is often blamed.
Erekat said the Israeli-Palestinian agreement before the conference could be two-three pages. Olmert and Abbas have met six times in recent weeks to discuss the issues. Erekat said they have come to some agreements, but he would not elaborate.
Israel has been pressing for a vaguely worded document that would gloss over the toughest issues still outstanding - borders, Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees.
Palestinians prefer a detailed preliminary agreement
clipped from: www.haaretz.com