Sharon: Israel Won't Go to London Summit

3 minutes ago   World - AP
 
 

JERUSALEM - Israel won't participate in an international Mideast conference Britain is considering hosting, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Monday.

 Last week, a Sharon adviser said Israel was prepared to attend, provided the conference focuses on Palestinian government and economic reform, and not on issues to be negotiated by Israel and the Palestinians.
 

The Palestinians want the conference to deal with "final status issues," including borders and the future of Jerusalem.
 

The idea of a conference has been floated by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is to visit the region this week.
 

In a meeting with visiting Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda, Sharon said that "we will not participate, but we understand its (the conference's) importance," according to a statement by Sharon's office.

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