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Palestinian Chairman Mahmoud Abbas addressing the 62nd UN General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York on Friday. (Reuters)
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PA official: Abbas, Olmert likely to hold meeting on Tuesday
By Shlomo Shamir, Haaretz Correspondent and News Agencies

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas will likely meet Tuesday, as part of their preparations for a U.S.-hosted Mideast peace conference later this fall, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Saturday.

Erekat added that the negotiating teams appointed to draft a joint statement of principles ahead of the conference might at some point participate in the talks.

Olmert and Abbas have met five times in recent months, in an attempt to build trust and find a way to restart peace talks that broke down in 2001.

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In the previous five sessions, Abbas and Olmert met privately, and later briefed their aides, who then began jotting down notes.

David Baker, a senior official in the Prime Minister's Office, said a firm date for the meeting has not yet been set.

Abbas says 'olive branch' won't fall from his hands
Abbas said Friday his government was completely committed to a U.S.-proposed Mideast peace conference and vowed that the olive branch of peace would not fall from his hands.

His impassioned speech to the UN General Assembly Friday recalled the famous address to the same forum in 1974 by his predecessor, Yasser Arafat, who appeared wearing a holster and carrying a sprig. Arafat told the assembled leaders that he carried both the olive branch and the freedom fighter's gun, and implored the world not to let that branch fall.

Abbas, who wore a business suit and no holster, pledged that "the olive branch of peace that never withers or dies, will not fall from my hands."

"Today, there is not the slightest obstacle to promoting the holding of (the upcoming) peace meeting, in particular because our brother Arab countries have demonstrated through the Arab Peace Initiative their true readiness to bring about a just, lasting and comprehensive peace," Abbas said, referring to the Arab proposal that offers peace in exchange for land.

"This is why we are very committed to the substance of that meeting as proposed...We would hope all parties would sit down to negotiation."

He reiterated his government's position that the key to solving the decades-old conflict between Israel and the Palestinians lay in directly addressing the divisive final status issues including Palestinian statehood, the status of Jerusalem and a right of return for refugees.

The November meeting, proposed by U.S. President George W. Bush's administration, is aimed at bringing together all parties involved in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, including key regional players like Syria and Saudi Arabia, as well as Jordan and Egypt which have already signed peace agreements with Israel.

But the Arab nations have so far been reluctant to commit, fearing that a failure to address fundamental final status issues will result in a gathering high on show, but low on substance. An agenda has yet to be set and the invitations have not been sent.

Hamas on Saturday slammed the Palestinian chairman's speech before the UN General Assembly, calling it "factional and provoking."

"It incites against Hamas and some neighboring countries," Hamas spokesman Ayman Taha told reporters in Gaza.

Syria asks whether Golan will be on conference agenda
Syrian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Bushra Kanafani said the government wanted answers to a number of questions, including details on the agenda of the meeting, and specifically whether the Syria-Israel dispute over the Golan Heights would be discussed.

Abbas' comments echoed recent expressions of optimism by other Arab leaders who, when the meeting was first proposed, were largely skeptical.

Hamas has opposed the meeting from the outset and concerns remain that their continued rejection, along with their refusal to recognize Israel or to rule out violence against it, could scuttle whatever gains are accrued.

Abbas, however, said he would take whatever comes out of the conference to the Palestinian people in a referendum so that they could make their own decision.

"I came to express to you the pain and suffering of every Palestinian man and woman; those who were martyred or injured; all those who await the freedom of a brother or father or sister or mother suffering in prison .... and the millions of Palestinians living as refugees on their own land," he said.

Abbas said: "The message of peace handed down from the prophets and messengers is (one) that will continue to flourish and grow like a tree, and the voice of peace in our land will be louder than any other voice."

The upbeat tone in the face of a conflict that has ensnared the world leader after world leader for six decades was echoed, cautiously, by the Arab League's secretary-general earlier in the day.

Amr Moussa said his discussions over the past few days, with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and others, were reassuring and that there was a strong desire to have all parties participate in the meeting.

"We, on the Arab side, have shown through our initiative that we are ready for peace with Israel," he said. "We are ready to turn the page."

But Moussa also stressed that the Arabs are not prepared to negotiate continuously if the commitment to the process is not mutual.

"At the very least Israel should halt the expansion of settlements," he said.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit echoed this cautious but positive approach in his speech to the assembly. He said the conference "may, if well prepared, provide an important opportunity to achieve long-awaited progress."

Aboul Gheit's Jordanian counterpart, Abdul-Ilah al-Khatib, said it may be the last chance to achieve progress and, as a result, the U.S. and others must ensure it tackles the final status issues.

Livni to Abbas: Israelis, Palestinians must make brave decisions
Also on Friday, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told Abbas that the Palestinians and Israelis must make brave decisions in order to achieve peace between the two nations.

"We must be brave in our decisions, but smart enough to advance the political process in a realistic and educated way, and thus avoid failure," Livni told Abbas during their meeting in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Israeli political sources described the meeting as positive and said that efforts were made on both sides to promote the U.S.-backed regional peace conference scheduled for November. Both sides showed a willingness to contribute to the success of the summit in a way that would reflect their respective goals, the sources added.

The two officials also focused on the situation in the Gaza Strip, where the militant group Hamas had seized control from the hands of Abbas' Fatah movement in June.

U.S. officials have indicated the conference would group Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who will host the conference, said no invitations have been issued so far.

Abbas said that talks resulting from the planned November summit could bring a final peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians within eight months. In an interview with the French news agency AFP, Abbas denied reports that he was not planning to attend the summit.

Meanwhile, The Associated Press reported Friday that the U.S. had chosen Annapolis, Maryland as the expected site of the peace conference this fall.

The small city, about 50 kilometers northeast of Washington D.C., was selected for proximity to the capital and the presence of the U.S. Naval Academy, where the November conference would be based, U.S. and other officials said Friday.

The U.S. official spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the conference have not been announced. The United States has been vague about the agenda, timing and guest list for the meeting, but Rice has said it will deal with the hardest issues in the 60-year Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Annapolis was also attractive because, unlike other sites near Washington, it has not been the site of any previous Mideast peace sessions.

U.S. officials want to avoid both high expectations and bad memories by not returning to the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, site of both a historic U.S.-brokered peace breakthrough and a failure.

Bush announced in July that the United States would host an international gathering dedicated to jump-starting Israeli-Palestinian talks. The Bush administration wants Arab powerbrokers, notably Saudi Arabia, to attend and lend backbone to the efforts to set up an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

The militant Palestinian Hamas group has called on Saudi Arabia and other nations not to attend, and warned Arab countries against offering concessions to Israel.
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  1.   complete reversal due to??? 21:47  |  Avi 28/09/07
  2.   I got it! they have promissed him 1/2 of Jerusalem 21:51  |  Avi 28/09/07
  3.   Abbas at UN 22:09  |  Chris 28/09/07
  4.   Good luck Palestinians 22:23  |  Gina 28/09/07
  5.   Abbas`s diaspora gambit 22:41  |  avramele 28/09/07
  6.   abbas has no guts and no power 22:45  |  real vision 28/09/07
  7.   Livni : Let`s be smart and hide we accepted pal "right of return" 22:49  |  Absolute Sweden 28/09/07
  8.   LIVNI TO ABBAS: YOU MUST BE A TRAITOR 22:52  |  Vaarn 28/09/07
  9.   Now Abbas is Livni`s poodle 23:33  |  Harold 28/09/07
  10.   Annapolis 23:51  |  The Rock 28/09/07
  11.   Annapolis? Oh no. 23:56  |  Mark Lincoln 28/09/07
  12.   We must be brave and continue with aliya and binyan haaretz after 00:04  |  Uzi 29/09/07
  13.   Why there can never be any separate Arab political entity west of 00:06  |  Uzh 29/09/07
  14.   How to abolish the PA, end the occupation and get real peace? 00:08  |  Uzi 29/09/07
  15.   Pals: What`s the betting...? 00:21  |  Mark 29/09/07
  16.   Realistic 00:30  |  Mike 29/09/07
  17.   Bush the magician and the impossible magic feat, Peace in our Tim 00:44  |  David Turner 29/09/07
  18.   #3 Christ. U R right, If Israeli UN Delegation boycott 00:51  |  Osman 29/09/07
  19.   We must be brave and stop evil coalition in the streets, if 00:55  |  Chaim 29/09/07
  20.   #4 Gina is right, AbuMazen. 01:00  |  Hamza 29/09/07
  21.   #3 and #11--Ever hear of Succot? 02:04  |  Martin 29/09/07
  22.   Good luck Israelis 02:12  |  jay 29/09/07
  23.   Hamza 02:51  |  Jasmine 29/09/07
  24.   Hot air,nothing is going to happen since the main player is not 02:59  |  lakshmi 29/09/07
  25.   The ad reads "Targeted Assassination Units." 04:02  |  Mark Lincoln 29/09/07
  26.   jay -- who stands to lose all the more without a peace treaty? 05:20  |  Gina 29/09/07
  27.   Amnerican Indians` right of return 05:26  |  Mark 29/09/07
  28.   Hamza -- Hope you see your state soon 05:27  |  Gina 29/09/07
  29.   Martin -- Question regarding Succot 05:33  |  Gina 29/09/07
  30.   #19 Lakshmi - hot air 06:17  |  Alan 29/09/07
  31.   To Gina my home town is Dier-Al-Kasii not Ramallah 06:47  |  jay 29/09/07
  32.   "Right of Return" 06:51  |  Alan 29/09/07
  33.   #24 - Gina re. Sukot 06:53  |  Eric 29/09/07
  34.   To Mark - you`re so wrong about America 06:59  |  MC 29/09/07
  35.   HE DOESN`T HAVE EITHER A BRANCH OR A GUN 08:02  |  indrajaya 29/09/07
  36.   olive branch.... 08:04  |  ravi 29/09/07
  37.   Abbas says `olive branch` won`t fall from his hands 08:28  |  yazan badran 29/09/07
  38.   # 21 Martin 09:37  |  Chris 29/09/07
  39.   illegal expansion of settlements by extremists continues 09:43  |  Tupac 29/09/07
  40.   has he held it since 1964? or did he just cut it ! 09:45  |  victor hardman 29/09/07
  41.   Abbas is genuine man of peace, he deserves our support (pt 1/2) 10:05  |  British Leftie 29/09/07
  42.   Abbas is genuine man of peace, he deserves our support (2/2) 10:14  |  British Leftie 29/09/07
  43.   British Leftie 10:51  |  Albert Seligman 29/09/07
  44.   #39 tupac cracks it ! its the occupation stupid 10:55  |  victor hardman 29/09/07
  45.   jay 10:57  |  Gina 29/09/07
  46.   Eric -- thank you for your response 11:02  |  Gina 29/09/07
  47.   42British Leftie,in short the perfect puppet for israel who 11:32  |  lakshmi 29/09/07
  48.   #25mark gets more absurd by the day 11:44  |  victor hardman 29/09/07
  49.   Thank you Albert 11:45  |  British Leftie 29/09/07
  50.   26# Gina..You need to open your eyes 11:56  |  Abu Firas Al Qudsi 29/09/07
  51.   Lakshmi 12:05  |  British Leftie 29/09/07
  52.   The "Law of Return" will push Israel into the sea literally 12:07  |  Alice of Wonderland 29/09/07
  53.   Abbas and his olive branch;A road to nowhere 12:08  |  Abu Firas AL Qudsi 29/09/07
  54.   Will Europe become PA´s accomplice in crime? 12:18  |  Alice of Wonderland 29/09/07
  55.   Abu Firas Al Qudsi -- It`s your choice 12:34  |  Gina 29/09/07
  56.   The miss-interpretation of the word "peace" 12:45  |  Alice of Wonderland 29/09/07
  57.   Alice did you read the PA Charter? 13:18  |  Abu Firas Al Qudsi 29/09/07
  58.   Can One Be a Good Jew Without Being a Zionist? 13:21  |  Reader 29/09/07
  59.   Haniyeh and Abbas have the same goal: wipe Israel off 13:30  |  Alice of Wonderland 29/09/07
  60.   Tupac - The Palestinian Arabs and The Native... 13:30  |  Reader 29/09/07
  61.   Gina you haven`t got a clue 13:30  |  Abu Firas Al Qudsi 29/09/07
  62.   OLMERT HAS NO DESIRE FOR PALESTINIAN STATE 13:57  |  Oktavious 29/09/07
  63.   #61 our land and the ottoman empire by abu who? 13:57  |  victor hardman 29/09/07
  64.   #57 Al Qudsi : YES, I´ve read the PA-Charter! 14:20  |  Alice of Wonderland 29/09/07
  65.   # 61 Abu Firas Al Qudsi - Avi Yerushalmi 15:05  |  17 29/09/07
  66.   NO to all the Usurpers 15:56  |  Brod 29/09/07
  67.   South Africa and Northern Ireland 16:08  |  Brenda 29/09/07
  68.   # 58 Reader-" Can One Be a Good Jew Without Being a Zionist? " 16:30  |  Alef 29/09/07
  69.   Abbas,Olmert meeting. 16:32  |  David Nigel Braham 29/09/07
  70.   # 67 Brenda from London 16:55  |  17 29/09/07
  71.   #67 BRENDA: were they Moslems? 17:17  |  Alice of Wonderland 29/09/07
  72.   51British leftie,your comparisons are not valid,Gandhian methods 18:14  |  lakshmi 29/09/07
  73.   #67brenda they were never solved the appeasers won 18:15  |  victor hardman 29/09/07
  74.   Abu Firas al Qudsi,your posts are always reasonable 18:36  |  lakshmi 29/09/07
  75.   Syria needs to wake up this meeting is about Israel and Pals 18:58  |  Shepherd