Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday he was ready to work with Israel on a declaration of principles as a step toward a full peace agreement.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had floated the idea last week. Such a declaration, as envisioned by Israel, would outline the contours of a future Palestinian state, without immediately tackling the most explosive issues, such as final borders and the fate of Palestinian refugees.

Abbas suggested Thursday he is ready to consider the idea.

	Advertisement

Israeli-Palestinian talks would focus on implementing what was mentioned in the road map, he said, referring to the international peace plan that envisions a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

"Then we could end in a declaration of principles," Abbas said during a joint news conference with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. "The important thing here is that we reach results, and that we know the ceiling [final stage], but the stages of implementation can be agreed upon."

Earlier Thursday, Rice said that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is ready to discuss fundamental issues leading to the creation of a Palestinian state.

The top U.S. diplomat met with Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah and signed an agreement granting the Palestinians $80 million for reform of their security services.

Rice said an international peace conference being promoted by the Bush administration for this fall is not to get people together for a photo op but rather so that we can really advance Palestinian statehood.

Immediately before meeting separately with Abbas, Rice met with the entire Palestinian cabinet in a gesture of support for the team of moderates that replaced the Hamas government after the Islamic militants seized Gaza by force.

Hamas considers the West Bank-based government, led by Prime Minister Salam Fayad, to be illegitimate.

Rice also met separately with Fayad before being introduced to his team of ministers. Rice addressed the cabinet in the room where it holds its regular meetings.

Hamas, whose government was dismissed by Abbas after the Gaza takeover, accused Rice of trying to deepen the divisions among Palestinians.

"Rice did not come to the region to establish a Palestinian state, as she and her master, Bush, have claimed. Instead, she came to support one Palestinian party against another, and to support the Zionist occupation," said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri.

Palestinian officials said the key item on the Rice-Abbas agenda is a Mideast peace conference set for the fall. The officials said they want the conference, announced last month by U.S. President George W. Bush, to yield real results, not just agreement on holding more meetings.

The Palestinians have been pushing for a resumption of negotiations with Israel on a final peace deal, something Israel has been reluctant to agree to.

Instead, Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have been talking in general about the contours of a future Palestinian state.

"We don't want another meeting void of implementing mechanisms," Palestinian negotiator and senior Abbas aide Saeb Erekat said of the fall conference. "What we need to see is timelines and mechanisms for implementation."

Palestinian officials said they will also tell Rice that Israel must start withdrawing troops from West Bank cities and restore the control of the Palestinian security forces there.

In previous meetings, Abbas and Olmert agreed in principle to the idea, but the Israeli military is concerned a troop pullback will increase risks of renewed attacks on Israel by Palestinian militants.