SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert flew to Egypt on Tuesday to rally Arab support for next week's U.S.-hosted Mideast peace conference, telling the leader of the largest Arab country that a peace deal with the Palestinians can be signed within a year.
Olmert's statement was the closest he has come to providing a firm timetable for a peace deal, as the Palestinians have demanded. However, Olmert suggested that implementing such a deal won't be possible as long as Hamas militants control the Gaza Strip.
Olmert's one-day trip to Egypt came ahead of a meeting in Cairo on Friday of the Arab League, where key Arab governments will decide whether to attend next week's conference in Annapolis, Md.
Israel and the Palestinians received formal invitations to the conference from the U.S. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas received his at his office in Ramallah, Palestinian and U.S. officials said. Olmert's office later said Israel also had been invited to the conference for "discussions about advancing the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians."
The U.S. hopes Annapolis will launch the first serious round of Israel-Palestinian negotiations in seven years and has been pushing the sides to endorse a joint document laying out their vision for peace ahead of the conference.
But negotiators say they have made little progress, casting a cloud over the summit, which is to begin Nov. 26 with a dinner in Washington and continue with talks in Annapolis the next day, according to Palestinian spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh.
Arab participation, particularly by governments that do not have relations with Israel, is considered critical for the summit's success. Arab countries have been reluctant to commit, seeking assurances that Israel is serious about addressing the core issues of its conflict with the Palestinians, including conflicting claims to the holy city of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees and millions of their descendants.
At a news conference with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Olmert sought to allay Arab concerns, saying that even if the summit does not address core issues, ensuing negotiations will.
"I want the Arab nations to know that the negotiations will tackle all the main issues," Olmert said. "We won't try to avoid any problem or overlook any issue.
"I very much hope we can reach this agreement in the course of 2008," he said, the closest he has come to setting a firm timetable for a deal. In the past, he had said only that he hoped to make serious progress before President Bush leaves office in January 2009.
He also he would take into account a Saudi-sponsored Arab peace plan -- a key concern of Arab states. Israel has reacted cautiously to the plan, which offers full peace in return for a full withdrawal from all lands Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war.
However, Olmert also signaled that carrying out any peace deal would have to wait until Abbas regains control of the Gaza Strip from Hamas. The militant Islamic group, which is committed to Israel's destruction, violently overran Gaza in June and remains firmly in control there.
Olmert said any peace deal must be based on the U.S.-backed "road map," which requires the Palestinians to dismantle militant groups.
"There will be no implementation of the (peace) agreement before the road map commitments are fully implemented. These commitments apply to Gaza as well," he said. "The Palestinians take for granted that Gaza is supposed to be part of the Palestinian state. So naturally, if it's part of the Palestinian state that must fight terror, that includes the Gaza Strip."
Olmert's spokeswoman, Miri Eisin, said he was referring to the requirement of the Palestinians to fight terror, beyond stopping daily rocket attacks from Gaza, but she would not elaborate. Abu Rdeneh would not comment on Olmert's remarks.
The road map also requires Israel to freeze all construction in West Bank settlements -- a step it has refused to take. Some 270,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements, in addition to 180,000 Israelis in east Jerusalem. The Palestinians seek both areas, which Israel captured in the 1967 war, as part of their future state.
Mubarak said the conference would be a "beginning for serious negotiations" but should ensure the talks "include all the issues of the final situation within a time limit" with a mechanism to monitor progress.
"I am looking forward to constructive positions from Prime Minister Olmert to establish the foundations (of peace) and ensure the success of the conference," Mubarak said.
Egypt plays an important leadership role in the Arab world, and Mubarak's views could influence the outcome of the Arab League meeting.
Egypt appears likely to send its foreign minister to the gathering, but other Arab countries -- particularly U.S. ally Saudi Arabia -- might balk or send only a low-level figure if they're not convinced it will produce results. Mubarak also said he "thinks" the foreign minister from Syria, which has hostile relations with Israel and the U.S., will attend.
At Friday's meeting, Arab foreign ministers are to decide participation and draw up a unified stance on the Annapolis conference. The ministers could pressure Abbas not to make concessions in Annapolis without guarantees of progress.
On Monday, Olmert and Abbas had what Israeli and Palestinian officials described as a difficult meeting as they tried to bridge differences on the pre-conference document.
Israel has said Annapolis should provide a ceremonial launch for a resumption of peace talks, which broke down seven years ago, and that negotiations on final-status issues will begin immediately after the gathering.
