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Abbas and Olmert start key talks Mid-East rivals seek joint stance
(about 5 hours later)
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas have begun what is being seen as a key meeting in Jerusalem. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will begin work next week on a joint declaration ahead of the Middle East conference to be held in November.
The two are trying to prepare a programme for next month's US-sponsored Middle East conference. This was announced after a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
But the two sides have rather different views on what should be on the table - the Palestinians want a detailed plan, the Israelis something vaguer. The meeting was seen as crucial to the success of the US-backed conference.
The meeting is being seen as crucial to the success of November's conference. Correspondents say officials tried to sound as upbeat as possible, but major divisions remain between the two sides.
The two leaders are meeting one-on-one at Mr Olmert's residence in Jerusalem before bringing in negotiating teams "charged with drafting the joint statement to be given at the international meeting," said Israeli government spokesman David Baker. The Israelis are hoping for a broad declaration of principles, without committing to a timetable for final-status talks.
It is the first formal meeting of the negotiating teams ahead of the conference, expected to be held in late November in the US. However, Palestinian officials want a framework and possibly a timetable for making decisions on some of the most sensitive issues in the conflict, including the final borders of a Palestinian state, the status of Jerusalem and the return of Palestinian refugees.
Divergent aims 'Positive'
But correspondents say there are significant gaps between the two sides' starting positions. An Israeli spokesman said the discussions were constructive and took place in a very positive atmosphere, and that Mr Abbas and Mr Olmert had developed a good working relationship.
The Palestinians want a detailed framework on settling outstanding issues such as borders, the status of Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees. The Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, told a press conference he hoped the negotiations would ultimately lead to a two-state solution and an end to the Israeli occupation. There has already been at least one suggestion that the planned conference may have to be postponed.
The Israelis prefer a broad statement on principles without committing to a timetable for final-status talks. The US is hoping to bring together the region's key players to work towards an Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement.
And neither leader is helped by a weak domestic position, although Mr Olmert's ratings have been boosted recently following Israel's mysterious air raid into Syria, says the BBC's Nick Childs.
For Mr Abbas and his chosen government there is still the spectre of their rivals in the Hamas movement, our correspondent says.
Indeed, for all the parties involved in these negotiations, there is the question of how Hamas and its supporters would respond to either progress or failure.
Date in question
But Wednesday's encounter should at least provide a clearer picture of the chances of putting together a viable conference next month, our correspondent adds.
There has already been at least one suggestion that the planned conference may have to be postponed.
The Americans are hoping to bring together the region's key players to work towards an Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement.
The US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, has said the conference must address substantive issues and advance the cause of a Palestinian state.The US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, has said the conference must address substantive issues and advance the cause of a Palestinian state.
The US has promoted a two-state solution, but the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has been stalled for most of the Bush administration.The US has promoted a two-state solution, but the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has been stalled for most of the Bush administration.