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)