Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Hayyat newspaper: Abbas and Olmert maintain secret negotiations channel

"RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- The London-based Al-Hayyat newspaper has revealed the presence of a secret channel for negotiations established between PA chief Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli premier Ehud Olmert in an effort to entrench the principle of a Palestinian state within provisional borders, which is rejected by a large segment of the Palestinian people.

The newspaper quoted a reliable source as saying that this secret channel "discusses proposals for political solutions, but has not yet achieved a breakthrough in any of the issues in question, such as the independent state, settlements, refugees and Jerusalem."

The newspaper mentioned that Abbas and Olmert agreed in the last meeting held in Jerusalem to initiate this secret channel for negotiating sensitive issues away from the media, during which they concur to work on eliminating the armed wings of the Palestinian resistance factions in the West Bank.

The Hebrew state seeks to endorse its annexation of settlement outposts located behind the separation wall, which constitute about 10 per cent of the West Bank lands, during those talks.

According to Palestinian sources, Abbas and Olmert met in private for an hour at their last meeting in Jerusalem, and agreed to resume their meeting in Jericho in early August; Saeb Erekat, the head of PLO's negotiations department, conducts contacts with two of Olmert's aides to arrange for the meeting."

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