Israeli PM pushes for peace with the Palestinians

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Source: CCTV.com | 10-09-2007 08:25

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (R) and Defence Minister Ehud Barak attend a session of parliament in Jerusalem October 8, 2007. (Reuters)

In Israel, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says his country will have to make painful concessions to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians.

Olmert made the comment at the opening of parliament's winter session in Jerusalem. Olmert says he will devote the coming year to pursuing peace with the Palestinians.

Olmert says Israel will have to give up on some of its deeply held desires an apparent reference to holding on to the West Bank. He says the Palestinians will have to deal with the need to concede part of their dreams in order to build a realistic, if not ideal, if not perfect future of peace and security with the Israelis.

The Prime Minister says he plans to make every effort to pursue peace with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas adding the current Palestinian leadership wants to move toward peace with Israel.

Olmert said, "The current Palestinian leadership is not a terrorist leadership. President Abu Mazen and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad are committed to all the agreements signed with Israel, and I believe they want to move ahead together with us on a path that will bring about a change in relations between us and them."

Olmert says he has developed a good working relationship with Abbas during recent meetings which have been held in preparation for a U.S.-sponsored Middle East peace conference slated next month.

As Olmert spoke Monday, Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams were meeting to begin work on a joint document, which they hope to present at the peace conference.

The two sides hope the document will outline a joint vision of a future peace deal. Olmert says the November meeting is meant to compliment direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, not replace them.