Abbas wants meeting with Olmert to cover final status talks

Mar 10, 2007, 15:51 GMT

Amman - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday that he planned to discuss with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday all outstanding issues including the 'final stage negotiations.'

Abbas made the remarks after a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah, who briefed him on the outcome of his visit to the United States last week that involved a meeting with President George W Bush and delivering the first speech by an Arab leader before the US Congress.

'I intend to discuss with the Israeli premier all outstanding questions for which we did not reach solutions so far as well as the final status talks,' Abbas told reporters.

'Our discussions will also cover the ongoing efforts to form a Palestinian national unity government,' he said.

'It is important to build on His Majesty the King's speech before the (US) Congress by conducting close and relentless contacts on Arab, regional and international levels, as this speech has dealt with the Palestinian question in an unprecedented manner,' he added.

In his speech, King Abdullah urged the United States to lead an effort with a view to reaching a final settlement to the Palestinian- Israeli conflict this year, saying 'we are all at risk' if we fail in this endeavour.

According to a royal court statement, King Abdullah on Sunday urged the Palestinians 'to work out a clear vision of targets to be achieved through the coming series of negotiations.'

'This vision should be ready before the arrival in the region of the US Secretary of State (Condoleezza Rice) and the convening of the Arab summit conference' due to be held in Riyadh at the end of March, the statement quoted the monarch as telling Abbas.

He referred to the formation of the Hamas-led Palestinian coalition government, one of the issues that topped the king's talks with the Palestinian president and the reservations still being raised by Israel and the United States regarding the policy the new cabinet would pursue concerning the recognition of Israel.

Under the provisions of the Saudi-brokered Mecca agreement that was concluded between Hamas and Abbas' Fatah group on February 8, the Islamic movement pledged to 'respect' the agreements so far concluded by the Palestinian Authority with Israel.

However, Olmert and other Israeli leaders so far insisted on an unequivocal Hamas recognition of the Jewish state before moving to lift the military and economic siege that has been imposed on the Gaza Strip since the fundamentalist group scored a landslide victory in the January 2005 parliamentary elections.

Abbas said on Thursday that '99 per cent' of issues relating to the formation of the national unity government had been resolved.

However, reports from the Palestinian territories said that some hurdles still impeded the forging of the new cabinet, including an agreement between Hamas and Fatah on who was going to be interior minister.