"Strategically, it (the US) is setting the stage and covering up for the upcoming American war in the region," Khaled Mashaal told a press conference at a forum of Palestinian intellectuals in Damascus, where he has his headquarters.

"There are preparations for an aggression against Iran, and could include other parties — Syria, Lebanon and Hezbollah. Therefore, America is distracting us with a false game and is preparing itself for the real one," he said.

He spoke as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Monday in Ramallah with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to prepare the ground for the conference.
 
"The Annapolis peace conference will take place in the last week of November," a senior official in the entourage of Rice said overnight Monday.

"In the Middle East anything is possible, but we are progressing according to the planned timetable," the official added while speaking to reporters in Ramallah. The meeting is expected to try to restart Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.

At a news conference with Rice, Abbas said he was receiving "encouraging signs" from Israel that pointed to a "real possibility" for achieving a peace deal.
 
Meanwhile, Mashaal said he feared "voluntary concessions by the Palestinians and the Arabs" during the upcoming conference without reciprocal moves by the Israelis.

The Hamas leader warned Arab states to stay away from the conference and advised Abbas against making any concessions.

"No one is authorized to continue with negotiations like he wishes" while the Palestinians are divided, he said. "No one is authorized to give up an inch of land, exchange it or give up the right of return."