Israel boycotts Middle East conference in London

Israel will not participate in an international Mideast conference Britain is considering hosting, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said today.

Last week, a Sharon adviser said Israel was prepared to attend, provided the conference focuses on Palestinian government reform and reviving the Palestinian economy, 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 Britain's Prime Minister, Tony Blair, who is to visit Israel this week.

In a meeting with visiting Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda, Sharon said that “we will not participate, but we understand its importance.”