This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/7384223.stm
The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Previous version
1
Next version
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Olmert and Abbas 'make progress' | |
(about 8 hours later) | |
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli PM Ehud Olmert have met in Jerusalem for a new round of talks - their third meeting in a month. | |
Officials said there was progress on the issues of the borders of a future Palestinian state and security arrangements in the West Bank. | |
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has just ended a visit to the region. | |
Ms Rice said she still hoped for a peace deal before President George W Bush leaves office in January. | |
Mr Bush is visiting Israel later this month to take part in ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Israeli state. | Mr Bush is visiting Israel later this month to take part in ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Israeli state. |
Palestinian-Israeli talks, launched at a Middle East conference hosted by Mr Bush in November, have yielded little visible progress so far. | |
Differences narrow | |
Mr Olmert told the Palestinian Authority president on Monday he understood the need for Palestinians to see improvements in their standard of living if a peace deal were to work, officials said. | |
They said the sides had exchanged maps on a future Palestinian state that may indicate a narrowing of differences. | |
"We have made significant progress on the two issues of outlining the borders of the future Palestinian state and the security arrangements between Israel and the Palestinian state," a senior Israeli official said. | |
Ms Rice, speaking on her way home from the region, said US embassy staff were to monitor the effect on the Palestinians of any removal of Israeli roadblocks in the West Bank. | |
The Palestinians say the presence of hundreds of roadblocks is crippling their economy. | |
The Israelis say they are designed to thwart potential suicide bombers. | |
On Sunday, at a joint news conference with Mr Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Ms Rice described continued Israeli settlement activity as "particularly problematic". | |
Israel insists that no new settlements are being built in the West Bank, although existing ones are being expanded. |
Previous version
1
Next version