Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas held their second round of talks on Sunday evening in
Jerusalem, Israel Radio reported.
During the meeting, the two leaders were set to discuss the
developments emanating from the Mecca agreement which Fatah and
Hamas signed, agreeing to form a national unity government in the
Palestinian territories, said the report.
Olmert apparently addressed two main issues: the Qassam rockets
fired at Israel by Palestinian militants and the weapons smuggling
into Gaza through the Egyptian border.
On Saturday, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat had
announced that the principal talking points would include
"reinforcing the truce between Israel and the Palestinians, closing
the file of wanted Palestinians to Israel and freeing the tax
revenues."
The first meeting was held on February 19 when Abbas and Olmert
met with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice but failed to
revive the ailing Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Earlier, Olmert had indicated future meetings with Abbas might
be held in the Palestinian territories.
Meanwhile, Abbas renewed his commitment to free captured Israeli
soldier Gilad Shalit, Israeli TV Channel 10 reported.
According to Abbas, Shalit, held Palestinian militant groups
since last June, would be released ahead of the Palestinian unity
government being formed later"this week".
Olmert, seemingly breaching new diplomatic ground, said he would
be prepared to broker a "creative solution" to solve the
Palestinian refugees issue, revealed Channel 10.
However, Shalit's Palestinian captors sought to pour cold water
on the whole affair on Sunday, claiming he would not be released
until Israel acceded to their demands.
"If the enemy (Israel) complied with the conditions outlined by
the factions that captured Gilad Shalit in Gaza, then he will be
released," said Abu Mujahed, spokesman for the Popular Resistance
Committees (PRC), one of the three groups which hold the soldier
prisoner. "Without answering our fair demands, nothing can
happen."
On June 25, Hamas, the PRC and the Islamic Army captured Shalit
during a cross-border raid, absconding him into Gaza where he has
been held since then.
For his release, the captors call on Israel to release all
women, children and people in ill-health from the 10,000
Palestinians it holds.
(Xinhua News Agency March 12, 2007)
