Philip J. Crowley
Assistant Secretary of State
Daily Press Briefing

Washington, DC

July 29, 2010
www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2010/07/145398.htm

TRANSCRIPT:
1:24 p.m. EDT

MR. CROWLEY: ...And anticipating your questions regarding Middle East
issues, obviously we've been watching through the day the Arab League
Initiative Committee - or Peace Initiative Committee meeting in Cairo. As
the President and Secretary have said, we believe that direct negotiations
are the best way to achieve an agreement on two states, Israel and Palestine
living side by side in peace and security. We are encouraged by reports that
Arab states meeting in Cairo agree on the need to resume direct negotiations
between Israel and the Palestinians to reach a final status agreement. In
the days ahead, we'll continue to work with the parties, consult further
with Arab countries and international partners to try to launch these
negotiations as soon as possible.

QUESTION: Do you think that they're any closer to - I mean, you know that
there have been signals and reports that the Arab League nations support a
resumption of direct negotiations. Although, at least our report says that
it leaves it to President Abbas to decide if and when. Do you think that you're
actually getting closer to direct negotiations now that Abbas seems to be
gaining more regional Arab support?

MR. CROWLEY: I think we are encouraged and hope that there'll be momentum
coming out of this meeting. I think as has been suggested, the prime
minister of Qatar on behalf of the Arab Peace Initiative Committee has sent
a letter to the President. We will, of course, be evaluating the ideas
contained in that letter and we'll be consulting further. As you said,
ultimately, the parties themselves have to agree that with the intensive
work that's been done over several months and most recently, that they feel
that there is the basis to move forward in direct negotiations. We feel the
time is right. We hope to have these negotiations begin quite soon. But
obviously, there are still decisions to be made and we hope those decisions
will be made soon.

QUESTION: Just one more from me on this. The letter that you referred to,
are you referring to some new letter that you believe has been sent today or
in the last day or two from the Qatari prime minister to President Obama?

MR. CROWLEY: As I think has been indicated in statements today, at the end
of this meeting, they have sent a letter to us and we will be evaluating
that letter and undergoing further consultations in the next few days.

QUESTION: Wait, but just so I understand, you expect that at the end of this
meeting they will have sent such a letter or you believe they now have sent
such a letter?

MR. CROWLEY: They have sent a letter.

QUESTION: Okay, and have you got it or has the White House got it?

MR. CROWLEY: The letter is on the way to the White House.

QUESTION: And it was dated today?

MR. CROWLEY: Hmm?

QUESTION: Today?

MR. CROWLEY: I believe the letter was forwarded today at the end of the
meeting.

QUESTION: Do you - so you expect that come September 16 meeting, that
recommendation coming out of the committee meeting today will be for the
direct negotiations to resume?

MR. CROWLEY: Well, all right. Try that again.

QUESTION: The meeting today -

MR. CROWLEY: Yes.

QUESTION: -- will submit recommendations for the foreign minister's meeting
on the 16th of September. So you expect that in that recommendation, there
will be a call for resumption or start of direct negotiations?

MR. CROWLEY: I'll just go back to what I just said. Coming out of the
meeting today, the Arab League Committee has forwarded to us some ideas on
how they think negotiations should proceed. As was just said, ultimately the
decisions remain with the parties to agree to formally start the
negotiations. We will be consulting with the parties and with leaders in the
region in the coming days. I think we are hopeful that coming out of the
meeting there will be some momentum that will result in the decision to
actually formally start these direct negotiations. Those are decisions that
have yet to be made, but I think we're encouraged by what we've heard today
coming out of Cairo.

QUESTION: But your position is that these negotiations will be
unconditional, and there is absolutely no incentive that the Obama
Administration is willing to give the Palestinian president or the
Palestinian Authority in order to entice them into these negotiations.

MR. CROWLEY: We have been talking in recent days and weeks with the parties
and with other countries that have a stake in this process. As always, we
have said, we do not want to have preconditions to the start of
negotiations. And we are hopeful that direct negotiations can begin soon.
Obviously, there's work to be done in terms of how this process would
unfold, what the parameters - what timeframes will be involved in this.
These are further discussions that we'll have in the coming days with a
variety of players.