Dialogue for peace in the Middle East
A starting point for peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians (PLO). This is the purpose of the international conference organised in Annapolis, USA, on 26-27 November.
About 40 states and organisations have been invited to the conference. Sweden is regarded as an important actor for peace in the Middle East and Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt has therefore been invited to participate by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Sweden is one of the largest donors of aid to the Palestinians. Swedish support is intended to promote the construction of a Palestinian state and aims for a resumption of the peace process.
A resumption of the peace process is also the aim of the conference in Annapolis, where the intention is for the international community to support Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in starting negotiations.
Olmert and Abbas in private talks
On Monday President George W. Bush will have meetings with Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas. Secretary Rice will also convene meetings of the Quartet (the EU, the United States, Russia and the UN). The day will conclude with a dinner to which all delegations are invited and at which President Bush will speak.
The plenary meeting of the conference will be held on Tuesday. In the morning, Mr Bush will have meetings with Mr Olmert and Mr Abbas. After that all delegations will assemble for a working lunch before the joint working meetings begin. These will centre around three areas: international support for the bilateral process; economic development, institutional reform and capacity building; and peace in the region. On Wednesday the private meetings will continue at the White House.
Two states the objective
Carl Bildt in conversation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Photo: Petra Hansson/MFA.
The organisers have not determined in advance which questions are to be discussed. However, the ultimate purpose is to bring about final status negotiations, i.e. negotiations that will lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state existing side by side with Israel, in peace and security.
This will require extensive support to the Palestinian National Authority in the coming years. A donor conference in support of the Palestinians will be held in Paris on 17 December and the intention is that the Annapolis conference should provide political impetus for such support.
Swedish aid to the Palestinians
Sweden is one of the largest donors of support to the Palestinians, with aid amounting to an estimated SEK 630 million this year.
The aid is intended to alleviate the humanitarian effects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, create the conditions for a resumption of the peace process and promote Palestinian state-building. Most of the aid is channelled via multilateral organisations and civil society.
Sweden has also long had development cooperation with the Palestinian National Authority for such purposes as building up and strengthening infrastructure and Palestinian institutions.
In addition to this, Sweden is providing personnel to the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH), the European Union Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point (EU BAM Rafah) and the European Union Police Mission for the Palestinian Territories (EUPOL COPPS).
Carl Bildt after talks with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in June. Photo: Petra Hansson/MFA.
Participants in the Annapolis conference
United States
Israel
Palestinian National Authority
Algeria
Secretary-General of the Arab League
Bahrain
Brazil
Canada
China
Denmark
Egypt
European Commission
EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy
President of the European Commission
France
Germany
Greece
India
Indonesia
Iraq
Italy
Japan
Jordan
Lebanon
Malaysia
Mauritania
Morocco
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Poland
Qatar
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Sudan
Sweden
Syria
Quartet Special Envoy Tony Blair
Tunisia
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
UN Secretary-General
Yemen
Observers:
IMF
World Bank
