During their meeting Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
and Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas
reached an agreement to setup working groups to discuss issues
pertaining to the two-state solution.
The two leaders met in Jerusalem earlier on Monday, which was
attended for the first time by Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad of
Palestinian caretaker government.
In a joint statement, Olmert and Abbas said that they wanted to
contribute to the success of a planned international meeting on
Meddle East peace, and stressed their commitments for a two-state
solution and decided to appoint teams to advance this goal.
During the first part of the meeting, which was also attended by
Fayyad and some other Israeli and Palestinian officials, Abbas
asked Olmert to release Palestinian prisoners as a goodwill gesture
for the holiday of Ramadan.
In response, Olmert agreed to propose Abbas' request to his
cabinet, but the two sides did not discuss the number of prisoners
to be released.
According to the statement, the two leaders also discussed
cooperation of security. Olmert said that he fully understands the
importance of the freedom of movement for the Palestinians and he
hopes to make progress on the issue soon.
The plan for boosting the movement between Palestinian cities is
expected to be submitted to the prime minister on Sunday.
Fayyad spokes about his role in building the Palestinian
security and civil organizations, and the future relations between
the two governments.
Olmert accepted a request made by Fayyad to send aid to security
prisoners jailed in Israel, including food, drinks and
cigarettes.
Israeli officials believed that Fayyad's presence was
significant because it showed that the two sides are beginning to
concentrate on the governing aspect of a Palestinian state, rather
than just the idea of having one.
During their private meeting, Olmert and Abbas stressed their
commitment to the two-state solution and decided to take proper
steps to put it into reality.
The two leaders agreed to establish a joint ministerial
committee to advance this goal, through which ministers from both
governments will work together.
In the working groups, the Israeli team will be made up of
representatives from the Defense Ministry, the Prime Minister's
Office and the Justice Ministry.
David Baker, official from the Prime Minister's Office, told
Xinhua that the meeting was very "productive" and "positive."
According to Baker, Olmert and Abbas are scheduled to meet again
in two weeks, before the Abbas attends UN General Assembly session
on Sept. 25.
The three-hour meeting between Olmert and Abbas was the latest
of a series of talks aimed at reaching a declaration of principles
ahead of a US-proposed international conference on Middle East
peace due to be held in the US in November.
Israeli and Palestinian officials held that the Monday
Olmert-Abbas talks also sought to lay the ground for a planned
visit of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice next week.
While Abbas is pushing for a detailed document that will include
a precise timetable for implementing an agreement, Olmert prefers a
broad-brush document that lists general principles that will serve
as guidelines, according to the officials.
The two leaders are seeking to reach an agreement of key issues
ahead of the international conference. The thorniest issues at
stake include the status of Jerusalem, final borders and the right
of return for Palestinian refugees
Miri Eisin, Olmert's spokeswoman, stressed that Monday's talks
were not formal peace negotiations, instead, the two leaders were
discussing concepts meant to lead to final-status talks.
"We're trying to bring about the practical steps that will lead
to a two-state solution," she said.
(Xinhua News Agency September 11, 2007)
