CAIRO: Egypt renewed its skepticism over a US-proposed Mideast peace conference on Monday, and its chief diplomat hinted that the heavyweight Arab nation may even not attend the gathering expected later this month. The remarks by Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit came after talks between President Hosni Mubarak and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas as diplomatic efforts to convene the conference have moved into high gear. Aboul Gheit said the conference expected in Annapolis, Maryland, should launch peace negotiations that end with fulfilling the dream of the Palestinian state. If the meeting in Annapolis will achieve that goal, let us all go to achieve that Palestinian goal, Aboul Gheit said. But if the meeting in Annapolis will not achieve that goal, then I think Egypt and other Arab countries will have reservations to participate. Neither Abbas nor his aids talked to the media after the discussions, but Egypt and the Palestinians have been at odds on whether the meeting has the ability to try to end the decades-long conflict. Mubarak has been showing reluctance to support the gathering, which he and Aboul Gheit have been criticizing as lacking an agenda and an endgame to resolve the Israeli-Arab issue. On Sunday, Mubarak discussed the proposed meeting with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, another key Arab powerhouse which has showed similar skepticism on the conference. After the meeting, Suleiman Awaad, a spokesman for Mubarak said the Egyptian leader and Abdullah expect the meeting to set up the final solutions ... within serious negotiations and a timetable. King Abdullah has said his country was not sure about its attendance. This question is premature, the Saudi monarch told the British Broadcasting Corporation earlier this month. Abdullah also said he believed the conference would fail unless the Palestinians' needs were taken more seriously and stressed the urgency for the return of Palestinian refugees to their country. Arab commentators have suggested that inviting countries such as Saudi Arabia to the US-sponsored conference reflects attempts to initiate its contacts with Israel. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is to visit the Middle East next week to put final touches on preparations for the conference, tentatively scheduled for later this month. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Abbas have met several times since the spring to discuss the agenda of the conference, which the Palestinians want to relaunch Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and set a six-month deadline for completing a deal. The Israelis are hesitant about setting a timeline. Egypt has been a close ally of Abbas, particularly after Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip. Cairo has thrown its support behind Abbas' West Bank-based government appointed. But Egypt and other Arab states are worried that the meeting will further divide the Palestinian ranks. They have expressed reservations about the usefulness of the meeting if it does not address the core issues in the Israeli-Palestinian and broader Arab-Israeli conflicts. Saudi Arabia, Syria and several other Arab states that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel are to be invited to the conference along with Egypt and Jordan, which do. Many in Israel also have expressed fears of failure, saying it could trigger a new wave of anti-Israeli violence. Aboul Gheit said top Arab diplomats will meet at the Cairo-based Arab League some time later this month to forge an Arab strategy on the conference. "The participants will discuss whether to participate or not, will this conference will make progress or not, and is it a movie show or real development,'' said Arab League chief Amr Moussa who met with Abbas. Associated Press
