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French President Nicolas Sarkozy embracing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris on Sunday. (Reuters)
Last update - 21:06 13/07/2008
Olmert vows to free Palestinian prisoners regardless of swap deals
By Barak Ravid and Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondents and News Agencies
Tags: Ehud Olmert, France 

Israel will free Palestinian prisoners as a gesture to the Palestinian Authority unrelated to the prisoner exchange deals it is conducting with Hezbollah and Hamas, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert promised Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday.

Olmert and Abbas on Sunday met for trilateral talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, on the sidelines of the first summit of the Union for the Mediterranean.

Israel and the Palestinians have never been as close to peace as they are now, Olmert said at a press conference during the French-initiated regional conference.
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"It seems to me that we have never been as close to the possibility of reaching an accord as we are today," Olmert told reporters standing alongside Abbas and Sarkozy.

Leaders of 43 countries from the European Union and the Mediterranean region met in Paris on Sunday for the summit, a Sarkozy-led initiative.

The project is aimed at breathing new life into the existing Euro-Mediterranean partnership, known as the Barcelona process, and will create a more equal dialogue between the wealthy EU and the poorer states that line the Mediterranean.

Olmert and Abbas launched U.S.-sponsored peace negotiations last year with the stated aim of achieving an agreement before President George W. Bush steps down next January.

Sarkozy, whose country recently assumed the rotating presidency of the European Union, visited Israel and the West Bank last month as part of efforts to facilitate the negotiations.

Standing before reporters, Sarkozy urged Palestinian and Israeli leaders to continue their peace negotiations, saying Paris supported both nations.

The French premier also said that in its current role as president of the European Union, France was willing to facilitate the peace talks. "If France does not do this it will betray its ideals," Sarkozy said.

Abbas welcomed the French intercession and voiced hope "that we can arrive at peace within a number of months".

The Palestinian leader also praised Sarkozy's "deep commitment" to Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, calling him a "great friend" of both sides.

Israel balks at observer status for Arab League

Israel has reiterated its opposition to the Arab League's presence at the Paris summit despite attempts by its secretary-general, Amr Moussa, to convince Israeli officials to reverse its position.

In talks on the sidelines of the summit, deputy foreign minister Majali Wahabi told Moussa that Israel would be willing to adopt a more flexible position if the Arab League, which is seeking to take part in the conference in an observer capacity, was less hostile to Jerusalem.

"Our position is that the Arab League should be here as an invited guest and not an observer," Wahabi told Moussa. "There are 10 Arab states in the [Mediterranean] union, and we are alone. What do they want? For us to also invite the Jewish Agency to the summit as an observer?"

Wahabi said his meeting with Moussa was "a good one."

"I told Moussa that he needs to stop being one-sided and only attack Israel," Wahabi said.

Moussa, in response, said he is quite disturbed by Israel's continued settlement activity, adding that if Israel were to announce a freeze in settlement expansion, then relations with the Arab League would improve.

Wahabi called Moussa's reasoning "an excuse." He added, though, that Syrian statements during the conference thus far have been more moderate and that officials have changed their tone towards Israel. Wahabi also held meetings with officials from Qatar and other Arab states on the summit sidelines.

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      1.   The key to peace 13:41  |  Rollin 13/07/08
      2.   YEAH, ABOUT AS CLOSE AS THE COPS ARE TO HIM! 13:48  |  Freethinker 13/07/08
      3.   oh yeah...? 14:14  |  ravi 13/07/08
      4.   Olmert`s peace 14:19  |  Hilda 13/07/08
      5.   peace closer than ever ? 14:22  |  Shimon Cleopas 13/07/08
      6.   Olmert: Palestinian-Israeli peace closer than ever 14:29  |  Natallie Durson 13/07/08
      7.   Closer than ever 14:43  |  Ralph 13/07/08
      8.   to ravi 14:44  |  jhon 13/07/08
      9.   Olmety to free Palestinian Prisoner regardless of Shalir? 14:57  |  Dagma 13/07/08
      10.   Peace? 15:01  |  Dav 13/07/08
      11.   Sarkozy 15:01  |  DovBer 13/07/08
      12.   To Natalie 15:07  |  Daniel Ben-Hillel 13/07/08
      13.   Dav, you can keep your `local sources` 15:14  |  Freethinker 13/07/08
      14.   Thank you Ravid and Stern for Warning Israelis 15:18  |  The Threadmill 13/07/08
      15.   Worse than apartheid ! 15:35  |  Gish Truman Robbins 13/07/08
      16.   There will be peace...! 15:36  |  Stephen. 13/07/08
      17.   False Peace 15:39  |  Fred Goepfert 13/07/08
      18.   Olmert is closer to jail than ever! 15:40  |  Yaakov K. 13/07/08
      19.   Olmert would sell his mother to get rid of investigations 15:41  |  Moshe 13/07/08
      20.   What POSITIVE have Pals recently done to be closer to "peace"? 15:44  |  AY 13/07/08
      21.   sarkoBruni should first bring order into his own country 15:45  |  Moshe 13/07/08
      22.   Send them to live with Olmert 15:56  |  yosef 13/07/08
      23.   Daniel Ben-Hillel 16:04  |  Natallie Durson 13/07/08
      24.   Daniel Ben-Hillel - Appeasing Bush 16:16  |  Natallie Durson 13/07/08
      25.   One-sided deal 16:19  |  Brod 13/07/08
      26.   Stop arming the P.A.. 16:22  |  Jean Van Daem 13/07/08
      27.   Welcomed news that an accord is within reach... 16:29  |  Smadar 13/07/08
      28.   The Olmert goal 16:31  |  Arie 13/07/08
      29.   Lebanese TalkBack: Israel-ALLIES & Partners with Hezbollah (1) 16:47  |  Linda Rivera 13/07/08
      30.   Lebanese TalkBack: Israel-ALLIES & Partners with Hezbollah (2) 16:49  |  Linda Rivera 13/07/08
      31.   A Question 16:49  |  AY 13/07/08
      32.   Take Me Home 16:56  |  Shimon Cleopas 13/07/08
      33.   A little less b .s. please 17:00  |  Baz Mann 13/07/08
      34.   Free the whole world 17:22  |  G 13/07/08
      35.   What will Olmert sy when released Pals come back killing Israelis 17:45  |  Shepherd 13/07/08
      36.   Olmert "drained and Beaten" ..... 17:55  |  Onlooker 13/07/08
      37.   Stop Releasing LIVE Terrorists for DEAD Bodies! 17:56  |  Linda Rivera 13/07/08
      38.   What will olmert say when they return 2 kill 18:10  |  THE TEACHER/INSTRUCT 13/07/08
      39.   YOUR NEW CELLMATE BUBBA IS WAITING FOR YOU! 18:17  |  OLMERT=CRIMINAL 13/07/08
      40.   king olmert has decided! 18:23  |  Mark 13/07/08
      41.   A Gesture to the Palestinian Authority 18:34  |  JordanisPalestine 13/07/08
      42.   Olmert is a Danger to Israel`s Existence 18:37  |  Scott L. Havsy 13/07/08
      43.   #19 Shepherd 18:37  |  JordanisPalestine 13/07/08
      44.   new charges for Olmert 18:47  |  vik 13/07/08
      45.   Bad for Israel 18:50  |  Brod 13/07/08
      46.   Olmert "I`l give you everything ....." 19:13  |  I.Kemp 13/07/08
      47.   Olmert in Trouble? Peace w/ Pals as a distraction 19:14  |  Slappy 13/07/08
      48.   Olmert vows to free Palestinian prisoners 19:21  |  Ralph 13/07/08
      49.   Israelis -Get Rid of the Palmgreaser Now ! 19:24  |  Tod Zuckerman 13/07/08
      50.   #12, Daniel Ben-Hillel 19:25  |  bashar 13/07/08
      51.   Trying to hide the success of Hamas 19:40  |  Harold 13/07/08
      52.   Islam 20:00  |  Mohamed Awad 13/07/08
      53.   They`re all looking at Olmert as a scumbag 20:36  |  IW 13/07/08
      54.   Olmert NOT FIT to make Important Decisions 20:44  |  Dagma 13/07/08
      55.   "Peace" HAS been closer. 21:31  |  Yehuda 13/07/08
      56.   Freed TERRORISTS Coming SOON to your City, Your Shopping Mall 21:41  |  Linda Rivera 13/07/08
      57.   with this vow 22:00  |  rm 13/07/08
      58.   how much damage will olmert be allowed to do? 22:10  |  dante 13/07/08
      59.   Mohamed Awad...Re: Islam 22:15  |  Nemesis 13/07/08
      60.   TO mohammed #52-I needed a good laugh 22:16  |  Arie 13/07/08
      61.   Releasing Palestinian Prisoners regardless of Shalit? 22:31  |  justiceforall 13/07/08
      62.   Islam 22:47  |  Jane 13/07/08
      63.   we`re in trouble 23:02  |  paul 13/07/08
      64.   Jane #62 00:12  |  Brod 14/07/08
      65.   Jane #62 Part 2 00:34  |  Brod 14/07/08
      66.   Jane #62 Part 3 00:40  |  Brod 14/07/08
      67.   #23 Not suicide necessarily, but stupidity 01:23  |  DesMnsDave 14/07/08
      68.   Olmert will be gone and all his family - Israelis 09:46  |  lily 14/07/08
      69.   There is a solution to the settlements 18:15  |  Jane 21/07/08