White House: Peace Deal By End oF Year Unlikely

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Washington - The White House acknowledged Thursday that reaching an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal by the end of the year was unlikely because of the political stalemate in Israel that resulted in plans for new elections.

"We do not think that it's likely that it would happen before the end of the year," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

Perino's comments marked the first time the Bush administration conceded that the goal of reaching a deal by the end of 2008 would not be successful, and come as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Tel Aviv to nudge negotiations along.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed to the timeframe during the Middle East peace conference hosted by President George W Bush in Annapolis, Maryland in November 2007.

But the resumption of direct negotiations between the two sides for the first time in years got off to a rocky start over Israeli clashes with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Tel Aviv's announcement of new settlements in disputed areas.

The peace process was thrown into further disarray after corruption allegations against Olmert forced him to announce his resignation in September. He will stay on as prime minister until a new government can be formed.

"We realize that with the political changes that have happened in Israel over the past couple of months ... that the prospect of being able to get (it) done became more unlikely," Perino said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has succeeded Olmert as leader of the Kadima party but was unable to cut a deal with other parties to form a coalition, resulting in new elections scheduled for Saturday.

Perino said even though the timeframe objective has not been reached, the two sides remain committed to a peace deal and that the Annapolis process has produced momentum toward a future agreement.

"It's our experience that over the past year, we have laid some very good ground work for the Palestinians and the Israelis to be able to continue to have their discussions," she said.

Reaching an accord before he leaves office in January was among Bush's top priorities for his foreign policy legacy. He became the first US president to call for the creation of a Palestinian state.


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