Prospects of a planned West Asia peace conference in Annapolis in the United States seem to be rather dim. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s swing through the region to prepare the ground for the upcoming talks appears to have achieved little.

The only consensus that has emerged at the end of her meetings with Palestinian and Israeli leaders is that the conference – if it does happen – is likely to end in high-profile failure. The gap between the Palestinians and Israel on what they want out of the conference remains huge.

The Palestinians want a clear time table for resolving some of the most sensitive issues in the conflict, including the status of Jerusalem and the borders of a Palestinian state. Israel is opposed to deadlines and would prefer to begin with a broad declaration of principles and follow a staged implementation of any agreement. So wide is the gap that Ms Rice was unwilling to announce a date for the talks. With the possibility of failure looming over the conference, it is quite likely that the US will prefer to call it off.

The weakness of the three main players is adding to disinterest in the conference. US President Bush is a lame duck domestically and possesses no credibility internationally as a peace maker, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is yet to recover from the blow that his invasion of Lebanon last year dealt to his standing, while Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stands diminished since his government lost the Gaza Strip to Hamas.

There are serious doubts whether these leaders are in a position to make the kind of concessions and bold decisions that will be required for the peace conference to be a success. Egypt and Jordan are likely to be the only countries from the neighbourhood to show up at the conference. Others are expected to stay away. This will detract from the value of what is being touted as a regional peace conference.

Walking away from a conference because it might fail is not the way to resolve conflict. Peace agreements are reached over several meetings and conferences. Many detours and setbacks will have to be endured before the deal is clinched. Even if the Annapolis conference does not end with the signing of a ‘historic agreement’ holding it is important, as it will be an attempt at breaking the deadlock. It is a difficult mission but not an impossible one.