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| By: Associated Press |
| Published: May 18, 2006 |
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet with Israel's foreign minister this weekend on the sidelines of an international economic conference, and press for the resumption of long-stalled peace talks, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Thursday.
The meeting between Abbas and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni would be the first high-level contact between the two sides since Hamas militants opposed to Israel's existence were swept to power in Palestinian elections in January.
"We want to resume negotiations, we want to resume the partnership," Erekat said. "That's the main message."
Israel has boycotted the Hamas-led government and rules out peace talks with Abbas as long as the militant group refuses to disarm and renounce its call for Israel's destruction. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he would give Hamas several months to moderate, and if not, act alone to set Israel's final borders with the West Bank.
Erekat said Abbas and Livni would meet on Sunday in the Egyptian resort of Sharm-el-Sheik, where both leaders will attend a high-profile World Economic Forum conference.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Livni's schedule has not been finalized. "No one on the Israeli side has said we will boycott Abu Mazen (Abbas)," he replied when asked whether Israel agreed in principle to hold the meeting.
The meeting is to take place just as Olmert leaves for Washington for his first visit as Israel's leader.
He is expected to come under pressure there to try to negotiate a final peace deal with Abbas, rather than unilaterally draw Israel's final borders with the West Bank if Hamas doesn't moderate.
An Olmert aide said recently that he, too, would meet with Abbas after returning from Washington. |
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