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Hamas' deputy leader Moussa Abu Marzouk. (AP Archives) Last update - 22:55 06/01/2008 Olmert, Abbas to meet Tues. ahead of Bush visit By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent, and The Associated Press Tags: Palestinians, peace process  Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas will meet in Jerusalem on Tuesday, a day before the arrival of U.S. President George W. Bush, top Palestine Liberation Organization negotiator Saeb Erekat said Sunday. According to Erekat, Abbas intends to demand that Israel halt all military operations in the West Bank, adding that the two sides' negotiating teams would meet Monday in order to discuss the formation of working teams, which would formulate a final status agreement. Bush is scheduled to begin his Mideast trip to Israel on Wednesday and will also visit the West Bank, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt as part of his push for a Middle East peace agreement. Advertisement In an interview with Channel Two television broadcast Sunday evening, Bush said that even if Israel and the Palestinian Authority fail to reach a peace deal by the end of 2008, there could be "an agreement on what a Palestinian state will look like." "I'm optimistic that we can have the outlines of a state defined," he said. "I'm optimistic because I believe Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas want to achieve this objective." Olmert and Abbas pledged at the Annapolis conference in November to try reach an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement by the end of this year. "I believe the leaders know me, and I know them. ... They're comfortable with me ... Therefore, the question is, will they decide to make the effort necessary to get the deal done while I'm president. Maybe the next person won't agree with the two-state solution, maybe the next person will take a while to get moving," he added. Hamas: Bush visit to Mideast is about Iran, not peace process Bush's upcoming visit to the Middle East is not about pushing the Israeli-Palestinian peace process forward but will instead focus on Iran, a senior Hamas official said Sunday. Hamas' deputy leader Moussa Abu Marzouk told The Associated Press that Bush's eyes are pointed toward Iran rather than the Arab-Israeli peace process. "It is very clear that Bush's eyes and mind at this time aim at Iran and how to deal with it, not the Palestinian cause," Abu Marzouk said in his Damascus office. "He added that if Bush is genuine about peace he should put pressure on Israel." Bush said in comments published Saturday that he will work with Mideast allies to develop a security plan to counter Iran during his visit. The American president did not provide details about the plan, but Arab diplomats told the AP that they expect the U.S. president to offer closer military cooperation with moderate allies in the Persian Gulf, Egypt and Jordan. Bush said Iran remained a threat because it continued to develop missiles that could deliver nuclear weapons and had resisted international demands to suspend uranium enrichment, a process that can produce fuel for a reactor or fissile material for a bomb. Also Sunday, Iranian envoy Ali Larijani, who is a close aide to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his representative at the powerful National Security Council, played down U.S. pressure on his country saying America cannot do much against Tehran. "These threats have no roots and sound like the screams of old people that are not able to do anything. They [U.S.] should reevaluate their acts," Larijani told reporters in Syria when asked about Bush's threats to Iran. Larijani met Sunday with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa. Related articles Bush: We'd defend Israel in event of Iranian strike Hamas: Bush's statement proves that resistance is 'only way' Bush: Settlement expansion 'impediment' to peace Bookmark to del.icio.us   Finkelstein in Lebanon A vocal U.S. critic of Israel met Monday with a senior Hezbollah official. Holocaustland 2007 sees record number of visitors at Auschwitz extermination camp.   1.   No One Cares About Iran Anymore! 21:23  |  Paulo 06/01/08   2.   will u.s. invade iran . will it ( forget ab. bush, 21:45  |  bozhidar balkas 06/01/08   3.   Peace? 21:57  |  Dale 06/01/08   4.   Easy to say from spokane 22:45  |  Ben 06/01/08   5.   We will have peace after Iranian threat is eliminated 22:51  |  Observer 06/01/08   6.   face of evil 23:14  |  frenz 06/01/08   7.   Dale in Spokane - With What Army? 23:30  |  Mark of Lewiston 06/01/08   8.   Dale in Spokane - With What Army? 23:30  |  Mark of Lewiston 06/01/08   9.   United Jerusalem 23:47  |  Avraham 06/01/08   10.   5. well observer is there anyone else you would like US to strik 23:50  |  US 06/01/08   11.   Marzouk is right,the Crime Syndicate has no peaceful intentions, 00:25  |  lakshmi 07/01/08   12.   #5 Observer 01:35  |  Boycott 07/01/08   13.   #1 Wrong as usual Paulo 02:20  |  Conroy 07/01/08   14.   7. Conroy? you continue to push little problems 03:34  |  get real 07/01/08   15.   2nd Try,Marzouk is right,the Crime Syndicate is not interested in 03:43  |  lakshmi 07/01/08   16.   Iran 04:32  |  Matthew 07/01/08   17.   Iran 04:33  |  Matthew 07/01/08   18.   #14 get real 08:44  |  Conroy 07/01/08   19.   fait accompli 01:20  |  Patrick Warner 08/01/08

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