Sharon: 2005 a year of great opportunity

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said tonight that for his nation “2005 is the year of the great opportunity.”

Speaking at an annual academic conference near Tel Aviv, Sharon said that next year could bring a ”historic breakthrough” in Israel’s relations with the Palestinians.

He said a key element is implementation of his plan to pull Israeli settlements out of the Gaza Strip and a part of the West Bank.

“It is clear that in a permanent peace accord, we will not be in Gaza,” he said.

Earlier it was revealed Israel has agreed to attend a Mideast peace conference in London, backing off its earlier reluctance to participate in the gathering, a senior official said today.

The official said Sharon has sent a letter to British Prime Minister Tony Blair agreeing to attend the conference, tentatively scheduled for February.

In the past, Israel has been cool to participating in international Middle East conferences, fearing outside intervention in its conflict with the Palestinians.

Palestinian officials have welcomed talk of a Middle East conference, hoping to use the event as a springboard for restarting peace negotiations with Israel.

But the Israeli official said the meeting should focus on reforming the Palestinian Authority and reviving the Palestinian economy.

“There is definitely an understanding between the prime minister and Blair’s office on the focus of the conference,” the official said.

Earlier, Dov Weisglass, a top aide to Sharon, expressed high hopes for the London conference, calling it ”maybe the most significant development in the near future”.

“It will be a meeting between Palestinians, a few European countries and a few American officials,” he said. ”It will entirely be focused on how the world can help the Palestinians prepare themselves for the new era.”

Weisglass described the conference as an initiative of Blair, but the British government has released few details about the gathering.