The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee Chairman Mahmoud Abbas announced Wednesday to begin his election campaign for the upcoming presidential elections slated for Jan. 9, 2005. Abbas, or better known as Abu Mazen, made the announcement at a news conference in Ramallah, formally kicking off his election campaign.  

He told the reporters that he would hold talks with Israel after the elections, stressing "there has to be dialogues with Israel."

The two sides have not held peace talks since a Palestinian intifada (uprising) broke out in September 2000.

Abbas, at the helm of the PLO following the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, was regarded as a front-runner in the Jan. 9 elections.

"We will definitely meet with them (Israel) after the elections... There is a roadmap (peace plan) between us and them and we should begin there," he said.

Abbas said his election agenda was in line with Arafat's plan to struggle for an independent Palestine state.

On a possible election boycott by the radical Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Abbas said "Hamas is an independent Palestinian movement and has its own opinion."

"If it wants to boycott then that is up to it and if it wants to participate, it is also up to it. We will respect its decision," he added.

On the issue of east Jerusalem votes in the election, Abbas said "we do not have any Israeli guarantees" regarding east Jerusalem Palestinians' participation in the elections, adding that Israel's military operations in the Palestinian areas must stop first.

Abbas was chosen as the candidate of the mainstream Fatah Movement to run for the elections, which would select a formal successor to the late Arafat, who died in a French military hospital on Nov. 11.

(Xinhua News Agency December 2, 2004)