CAIRO: The Annapolis Middle East peace conference kicks off today with the hope of revitalizing the long dormant peace process between the Palestinians and Israelis. The conference is the brainchild of the US administration, which has expended great diplomatic effort to make this conference the spark that will lead to the creation of a Palestinian state within a year. One of the main tenets of this conference is the presence of neighboring Arab nations represented at the ministerial level, including Saudi Arabia and Syria, who have sent their deputy foreign minister. Both these countries had declared they would attend only days before, after a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in the Arab League headquarters in Cairo last Friday. Arab league chief Amr Moussa will also attend the conference. Syria had stated that it would not attend the conference unless the issue of the Golan Heights was on the agenda, but softened its position after Arab pressure and the promise that the disputed territory will be discussed. The aim of the conference is to emerge with a joint document that will specify the next steps in the process and eventually lead to the creation of the Palestinian state. The wording of the document has been the main blocking point in the weeks building up to the conference, with the Palestinians wanting a clear indication of the core issues included in the document, while Israel prefer a more ambiguous tone. However, with the conference just hours away, it seems that an agreement will be reached between the two sides after much American and Arab mediation. Yasser Abd Rabo, senior aide to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, told AP Monday, "We will reach a joint paper today or tomorrow. There is a persistent American effort to have this statement. Earlier, Israeli Foreign Ministry Director-General Aharon Abramovich said on Israeli public radio, "There is still a possibility to conclude a joint Israeli-Palestinian declaration. Tomorrow [Tuesday], there will be another meeting between the negotiators. The only group not invited to the Annapolis conference is Hamas. The group held an "anti-Annapolis conference in Gaza, which it rules over. On Monday, Hamas leader and deposed Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh told the 1,000 people attending, "Let the whole world hear us - we will not cede an inch of Palestine and we will never recognize Israel. For once, the Hamas and Syrian positions are incongruous. Syria, where exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal resides, previously prohibited Hamas from organizing any public gatherings in Damascus to protest against Annapolis. However, Hamas will hold an "alternative conference in Damascus today where they will reiterate their rejection of the Annapolis conference and all it entails. Egypt was one of the first Arab countries to accept the invitation to Annapolis and will be represented by Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
