Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Israeli Prime Minister Ehod Olmert were pessimistic about achieving a peace deal by the end of 2008, Palestinian and Israeli sources reported on Tuesday.
President Abbas stated on Tuesday that the American administration must make more efforts to achieve a Palestinian Israeli peace deal by the end of the 2008.Abbas said" this is a rare chance and may not happen again."
Abbas comented at a press conference in the Jordanian capital Amman after a meeting with king Abdullah II the king of Jordan. The Palestinian president also said that the American administration is not doing enough to make year 2008 a year of peace.
Meanwhile Israeli Prime minister Ehod Olmert told reporters today during his visit to Japanese capital Tokyo, that he is unsure that Israelis andPalestinians will finalize a peace deal by the end of 2008.
The Israeli Premier was quoted as saying" I am not sure if we can achieve peace, but we are determined to take a step forward to end this conflict once and for all."
The Palestinian-Israeli peace talks were revived during last November's Washington-sponsored Annapolis summit, in which both sides agreed to reach a peaceful settlement by the end of 2008.
US President George W. Bush, urged the two sides to reach agreement on a two states solution , based on 1967 borders, Palestine would consisting of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
