Israeli and Palestinian leaders meet

JERUSALEM – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas headed into a meeting with the Israeli leader yesterday warning that a planned international peace conference would be a ‘waste of time’ if it failed to address the core issues of Palestinian statehood – borders, refugees and Jerusalem.

Abbas pressed Israel to be more specific on how it plans to approach peace talks, saying Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s proposed ‘declaration of principles’ would not suffice. US President George W Bush has called for a Mideast peace conference, expected to take place in November, to advance a final Israeli-Palestinian accord.”If there is a clear framework including final status issues, we will welcome this and go to the conference,” Abbas told Voice of Palestine radio.Pressure is mounting on the two sides to work out differences that have blocked the resumption of peace talks that stalled in 2001 amid intensifying violence.The US has been prodding Israel and the Palestinians to make progress before the November conference.Olmert’s office said yesterday’s meeting at the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem was part of an attempt to reach understandings before then, but spokesman David Baker said the big three issues ‘would not be discussed’.Abbas and Olmert have been meeting regularly for several months, in an attempt to boost Abbas against Islamic Hamas militants who violently seized control of the Gaza Strip in June.So far, there have been few concrete results, with Israel preferring to focus on general outlines and the Palestinians pressing for detailed talks on the main issues.The Haaretz newspaper reported yesterday that the two sides had agreed to set up negotiating teams to advance the talks.A senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the talks were not public, said Olmert has agreed to include the issues of borders, refugees and Jerusalem in the so-called declaration of principles.However, it was not clear in what way they would be included.Nampa-APUS President George W Bush has called for a Mideast peace conference, expected to take place in November, to advance a final Israeli-Palestinian accord.”If there is a clear framework including final status issues, we will welcome this and go to the conference,” Abbas told Voice of Palestine radio.Pressure is mounting on the two sides to work out differences that have blocked the resumption of peace talks that stalled in 2001 amid intensifying violence.The US has been prodding Israel and the Palestinians to make progress before the November conference.Olmert’s office said yesterday’s meeting at the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem was part of an attempt to reach understandings before then, but spokesman David Baker said the big three issues ‘would not be discussed’.Abbas and Olmert have been meeting regularly for several months, in an attempt to boost Abbas against Islamic Hamas militants who violently seized control of the Gaza Strip in June.So far, there have been few concrete results, with Israel preferring to focus on general outlines and the Palestinians pressing for detailed talks on the main issues.The Haaretz newspaper reported yesterday that the two sides had agreed to set up negotiating teams to advance the talks.A senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the talks were not public, said Olmert has agreed to include the issues of borders, refugees and Jerusalem in the so-called declaration of principles.However, it was not clear in what way they would be included.Nampa-AP