ISRAEL - Sept 16 - Israel Wants Joint Declaration Out Of Gathering In US.

Israeli PM Ehud Olmert seeks to lower expectations for a US-led conference on Palestinian statehood, saying he wanted a joint declaration out of the gathering rather than a binding deal. "We are talking between us about a joint declaration that we hope we can formulate", Olmert told members of his government, referring to his discussions with Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. "There is a difference between an 'agreement on principles' and a declaration which represents positions", Olmert was quoted as saying by an official. With US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice scheduled to return in the region this week, Olmert's comments highlighted the differences that remain two months before the conference is expected to convene in the Washington area. Abbas, who set up a West Bank-based government after his Fatah faction lost control of the Gaza Strip to Hamas Islamists in June, is seeking a more explicit "framework agreement". Such an accord, Abbas says, should have a timeline for implementation on the core issues of borders, occupied Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees. Saeb Erekat, an aide to Abbas, said the label attached to a document agreed by both sides was not the paramount issue. "I don't care what you call it. I care about the substance. The most important thing is that we specify in a substantive way how to resolve all the fundamental issues", Erekat said in reference to Olmert's remarks.