While Syria and Lebanon are refusing to attend next week’s summit in Moscow on Middle East regional issues, the Egyptians, Jordanians and the Saudis will be there, an Egyptian Embassy spokesman confirmed Tuesday.
But the Palestinians remain undecided. They have “not formally responded” to a U.S.-Russian invitation to attend the talks on Jan. 28 and 29, Richard Boucher, the State Department’s deputy spokesman, said Tuesday.
Boucher said the Palestinians are still actively considering the invitation.
The Palestinians want to have a place at the Moscow conference separate from the Jordanian delegation, with whom they have been formally linked during the bilateral talks with Israel in Madrid and Washington.
Israel argues that the terms of reference for the bilateral talks also apply for the regional talks. But the Palestinians have argued for separate representation, since the regional talks will discuss Palestinian matters other than those concerning Israeli administration of the territories.
High among those items are the future of Palestinian refugees that now live in Arab countries.
Lebanon and Syria say they are refusing to attend the summit because they are disappointed with the lack of substantive progress in their bilateral talks with Israel.
But Jordan “made it clear during the third round of bilateral talks that they will be attending.” said Nabil Osman, the Egyptian Embassy’s minister-counselor for press and information.
The Saudis will be attending through their membership in the Gulf Cooperation Council, a group of Persian Gulf countries, Osman said. Also attending will be the Maghreb nations: Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
More than 30 foreign ministers from European, North American, Asian and African countries will be in Moscow for the multilateral talks, which will focus on regional issues, such as arms control, economic development and the chronic water shortage.
Osman said Egypt is urging all parties, including the Palestinians, to participate in the Moscow conference. “Persuasion is the name of the game, but (there is) no coercion, no pressure, nothing of that sort,” he said.
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