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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas shaking hands Monday ahead of talks in the West Bank city of Jericho. (GPO)
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Last update - 20:11 07/08/2007
Abbas: Palestinians' daily lives will soon improve
By Barak Ravid and Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondents, and Agencies

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas promised Palestinians on Tuesday their lives would improve as a result of his talks Monday with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

"Many issues which affect the Palestinians in their day-to-day lives will be resolved," Abbas told Voice of Palestine radio in his first public comments on his meeting on Monday with Olmert in the West Bank city of Jericho.

Palestinian officials said they received assurances from Olmert that Israel would approve as early as next week the removal of some of the hundreds of checkpoints, roadblocks and barriers that restrict Palestinian travel in the West Bank.

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Similar pledges in the past have not been fully implemented following opposition from Israeli security officials.

Abbas also sought the release of more Palestinian prisoners held by Israel but Olmert, who recently freed over 250 inmates, was non-committal.

"We can evaluate the results after two more meetings," Abbas told the radio.

Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas agreed Monday that cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority would be expanded, in an effort to expedite progress in their talks for the establishment of the Palestinian state.

"Exchanges between the two sides will become increasingly more substantive, and will deal less with routine matters," a senior political source in Jerusalem said Monday.

The three-hour meeting between Olmert and Abbas took place in two parts: a private meeting just between the leaders, and a lunch with their teams of advisers.

Sources in the Prime Minister's Bureau said that the atmosphere at the meeting was constructive.

Saeb Erekat, head of the PLO negotiating team, described Monday's meeting between Olmert and Abbas as serious and detailed.

"Abbas did not come to the meeting with a magic wand, and neither did Mr. Olmert," Erekat said at a news conference. "There is an agreement on a series of meetings to discuss the issues, including the establishment of a Palestinian state."

Abbas thanked Olmert for the release of 255 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, and expressed hope that the next step would result in the freeing of more prisoners. The two decided to institute a special ministerial committee, and that the Palestinian Authority will be represented by Interior Minister Abd al-Razek al-Yihiye.

Israel also promised the Palestinians to reconsider the request of the militants who were expelled after the siege on the Church of the Nativity in 2002.

"The negotiations on renewing the diplomatic talks between the two sides have reached fruition," Erekat said Monday. "What we now need is decisions by the two leaders. We do not need to do anything new for a regional summit, but to clarify the existing initiatives and the signed agreements. We support the Arab [League] initiative and the road map as the basis for this summit."

Erekat also said that the two leaders would hold at least three more meetings before the November summit in Washington.

Commenting on the Abbas-Olmert meeting, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said that he did not expect it to produce any results.

Ahmed Yousef, an aide to Haniyeh, said Monday that secret talks were taking place between Fatah and Hamas to try to find a possible scenario to emerge from the current crisis and resume the so-called national dialogue. Abbas' spokesmen weren't immediately available for comment, but in recent days, he has denied similar reports by Hamas

After the tete-a-tete, Olmert said he and Abbas discussed issues fundamental to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

"We have decided to expand the negotiations between us in order to advance mutual understanding, and formulate the framework that will allow us to move forward toward establishing a Palestinian state," Olmert said. "Our mutual goal is to realize the shared vision between us and [U.S. President George] Bush regarding the establishment of two states for two peoples, who live side by side in security and peace. We want to achieve this as soon as possible."

He said he had no intention of stalling.

During the expanded meeting, the Palestinians spoke of the resumed security cooperation between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. They handed a document to Olmert and his aides detailing the PA's steps to enhance security in recent weeks, including the arrest of several members of terror organizations, and captured munitions and explosives that was handed over to Israel.
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  1.   Don`t forget to open Jericho casino to public 12:40  |  Tamir Palestine 07/08/07
  2.   A SUICIDE BOMBER WILL MAKE THIS ENDED 12:46  |  indrajaya 07/08/07
  3.   # Fake Indrajaya 13:02  |  Indrajaya 07/08/07
  4.   40 years of terror 14:04  |  Dav 07/08/07
  5.   #1-Olmert went to Jerico to gamble with Jewish Lives 14:52  |  Alan 07/08/07
  6.   Simply end the occupation 15:00  |  El-Birawi 07/08/07
  7.   Thank you, Dav! 15:37  |  Giles Martin 07/08/07
  8.   Israel`s Obligations Towards Peace 15:48  |  Double Click 07/08/07
  9.   Hamas are OK; they are rabid murderers with fewer pretensions. 16:00  |  Uzi 07/08/07
  10.   Here`s hoping..... 16:02  |  Dagma 07/08/07
  11.   Humbug & naysayers 16:10  |  Avrum 07/08/07
  12.   Palestinians..could they get more arab help? 16:45  |  Haavard 07/08/07
  13.   El Birawi 16:45  |  leon 07/08/07
  14.   Go back to Europe 17:00  |  Charlotte Mathiers 07/08/07
  15.   To Double Click # 8 17:08  |  Dolly 07/08/07
  16.   WHERE IS UOR SOLDIER.... 17:24  |  MICHEL 07/08/07
  17.   and ours will turn into a nightmare 17:24  |  chaim schonbrun 07/08/07
  18.   Haavard 17:31  |  JH 07/08/07
  19.   Should have was needed, not will someday 17:40  |  Mark Lincoln 07/08/07
  20.   El Birawi 17:41  |  danite 07/08/07
  21.   And how long can this blather work? 17:45  |  Mark Lincoln 07/08/07
  22.   Ignoring Hamas will lead to Failure!!!!! 17:47  |  Robert 07/08/07
  23.   Read carefully 17:48  |  Mark Lincoln 07/08/07
  24.   The Arab-Israeli conflict is not about the settlements... 17:50  |  Ohev Tsion 07/08/07
  25.   spell that `organizations` 17:51  |  Mark Lincoln 07/08/07
  26.   Leon and all of you go back to Poland and Odessa 17:56  |  El-Birawi 07/08/07
  27.   Olmert went to Jerico to gamble with Jewish Lives 18:02  |  chaim schonbrun 07/08/07
  28.   PLEASE A MUST READ::::FOR ALL JEWS AND ARABS 18:03  |  Mohammed 07/08/07
  29.   Perhaps Danite can donate some of her genes 18:20  |  El-Birawi 07/08/07
  30.   The Fatah-Israel Collaboration 18:20  |  Palestinian 07/08/07
  31.   Peace 18:23  |  JH 07/08/07
  32.   To My Brother Mohammed #21 19:01  |  Brian Freund 07/08/07
  33.   Simply end the occupation (response) 19:19  |  Aryeah245 07/08/07
  34.   To Mohammed # 21 19:20  |  Dolly 07/08/07
  35.   #23 Palestinian 19:21  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 07/08/07
  36.   To Mohammed # 21 The Plan 19:27  |  Dagma 07/08/07
  37.   Why does submission to g-d mean our way? 19:28  |  Aryeah245 07/08/07
  38.   #4, Dav 19:29  |  Hannah 07/08/07
  39.   Mohammed 19:33  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 07/08/07
  40.   Opportnists? Practical hypocracy 19:36  |  Aryeah245 07/08/07
  41.   #11 - Constructive Post - One Point Missing 19:37  |  Double Click 07/08/07
  42.   Except if you like Hamas, then you`re excluded 19:42  |  Chick 07/08/07
  43.   Mark Lincoln, on bloviation. 19:49  |  Akiva Patysh 07/08/07
  44.   #6, El-Birawi 19:49  |  Hannah 07/08/07
  45.   #8, Doubleclick 19:56  |  Hannah 07/08/07
  46.   #12, Haavard 19:59  |  Hannah 07/08/07
  47.   #13, Leon 20:02  |  Hannah 07/08/07
  48.   El Birawi simply end the occupation 20:09  |  Hannah 07/08/07
  49.   A break in the action 20:09  |  Sam 07/08/07
  50.   #15, Danite 20:10  |  Hannah 07/08/07
  51.   #17, Robert 20:15  |  Hannah 07/08/07
  52.   #19, Lover of zionism 20:24  |  Hannah 07/08/07
  53.   #21, Muhammed 20:28  |  Hannah 07/08/07
  54.   #22, El-Birawi 20:33  |  Hannah 07/08/07
  55.   #23, Palestinian 20:36  |  Hannah 07/08/07
  56.   FALSE HANNAH ALERT! #40 20:39  |  Hannah 07/08/07
  57.   #27, Dolly 20:46  |  Hannah 07/08/07
  58.   #30, Aryeah 20:54  |  Hannah 07/08/07
  59.   #35, ! איזה בושה 20:59  |  Hannah 07/08/07
  60.   Anything you want but please don`t hurt me 22:08  |  Chick 07/08/07
  61.   El Birawi 22:26  |  Danite 07/08/07
  62.   Hannah =dana 22:28  |  Danite 07/08/07
  63.   Hannah and genes 22:30  |  danite 07/08/07
  64.   #22, El-Birawi 23:17  |  Hannah 07/08/07
  65.   Tamir? 23:21  |  Lynn 07/08/07
  66.   #51, Danite 23:21  |  Hannah 07/08/07
  67.   El-Birawi - ah, Danite is a francophone 23:22  |  Mark Lincoln 07/08/07
  68.   Is this the road to peace? 23:23  |  Dan Chazan 07/08/07
  69.   # 48 FALSE HANNAH ALERT!!! 23:27  |  Hannah 07/08/07
  70.   # 23 Palestinian 23:34  |  Lynn 07/08/07
  71.   #50 Anything You Want but Don`t Hurt Me 23:47  |  Kaelinda 07/08/07
  72.   #57, Mark Lincoln 23:57  |  Hannah 07/08/07
  73.   #48, TRUE HANNAH ALERT! 00:02  |  Hannah 08/08/07
  74.   FALSE HANNAH ALERT! #59 00:03  |  Hannah 08/08/07
  75.   #58, Dan Chazan 00:11  |  Hannah 08/08/07
  76.   Lynn 00:52  |  Tamir Palestine 08/08/07
  77.   new era 00:57  |  Indrajaya 08/08/07
  78.   Hannah =dana #56 01:23  |  Danite 08/08/07
  79.   Most leaders have some sort of plan for jobs 01:39  |  Chick 08/08/07
  80.   puking Hannah,ie#36thru65,yeeich! 01:55  |  Akiva Patysh