Special Briefing Skipper: George Mitchell on the peace talks

Your humble Cable guy is on vacation, but sending along this briefing skipper, in which we scour the transcript of the State Department’s daily presser so you don’t have to. These are the highlights of Thursday’s briefing by Special Envoy George Mitchell:

• Mitchell came out to brief the press after the first full round of talks had ended. The first meeting involved the full U.S., Israeli, and Palestinian delegations and took place on the 8^th floor of the State Department. After that, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Mitchell continued in Clinton’s personal office (pictured above). When that ended, Netanyahu and Abbas had a one-on-one talk. “In the trilateral meeting, there was a long and productive discussion on a range of issues,” Mitchell said. “President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed their intent to approach these negotiations in good faith and with a seriousness of purpose.”
• Don’t expect detailed readouts of the talks, Mitchell warned. “[Netanyahu and Abbas] also agreed that for these negotiations to succeed, they must be kept private and treated with the utmost sensitivity. So what I and they are able to disclose to you today and in the future will be limited,” he said. But Mitchell did reveal that Netanyahu and Abbas reaffirmed their commitment to “a viable state of Palestine alongside a secure state of Israel.” They also agreed these negotiations can be completed within one year. They did discuss settlements, but not in detail.
• The two sides agreed the next step is to work out a framework agreement, the purpose of which is “to establish the fundamental compromises necessary to enable them to flesh out and complete a comprehensive treaty.” So what is a framework agreement exactly? “A framework agreement is not an interim agreement. It’s more detailed than a declaration of principles, but is less than a full-fledged treaty,” Mitchell said.
• The next meeting will be Sept 14 and 15 in the region and they will try to meet every two weeks after that. The planning for that meeting, which includes the U.S., is underway. Clinton and Mitchell will both go to the region to attend. As for exactly what will be discussed when, Mitchell isn’t saying. “You cannot separate process from substance in these discussions. There is an interaction that affects both, and we’ve made it clear that these issues are to be determined by the parties.”
• Mitchell described the relationship between Netanyahu and Abbas at the meeting as “cordial.” He pointed out that the two leaders have know each other for a long time. “They are not in any way strangers, politically or personally. And I felt that it was a very constructive and positive mood, both in terms of their personal interaction and in terms of the nature of the discussion that occurred,” Mitchell said.
• The Iranian government’s actions, which Netanyahu mentioned Thursday, do have an influence on the peace negotiations, Mitchell said, arguing that those actions provide another clear reason for everybody in the region to make peace. “Obviously one of the factors that makes that desirable — in my judgment, necessary for all of these parties — is in part the actions and policies that have been and are being taken by the government of Iran,” Mitchell said. “Yes, so it is a factor.”
• Mitchell didn’t want to compare President Obama’s effort to organize peace talks with past administrations, but he did praise Obama for making the issue a priority at the very beginning of his administration. “There have been many very well-written books on the history of the past 20 years. I think I’ve read most of them. And it’s very clear that at least in a couple of instances, time ran out,” he said.
  “Well, this president, I believe, will succeed. But as he said yesterday, neither success nor failure is predetermined or guaranteed. But it isn’t going to be because time ran out at the end.”
• Mitchell wasn’t overly confident about the result of the new talks, but said he personally believed that these negotiations can produce a final agreement that will solve the conflict once and for all.” There has to be a sincerity and a seriousness of purpose combined with a realistic appraisal and understanding of the difficulties, but a determination to overcome them. I believe that exists. I believe these two leaders, President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu, are committed to doing what it takes to achieve the right result.”