President Abbas to meet Israeli defense minister in Greece

Tuesday July 01, 2008 14:03 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMc News

The office of the Israeli Defense Minister Ehod Barak stated on Tuesday that Barak will meet the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today in Greece.

the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas - Photo By IMEMC's Ghassan Bannoura - 2008

The two will meet in the Greek capital, Athens, on the sidelines of the annual gathering of the Socialist International congress, Barak office stated.

The Palestinian – Israeli talks toward resolving core issues like the status of Jerusalem, the borders of a future Palestinian state and refugees were revived at the US-hosted Annapolis conference last November.

Earlier on Tuesday, President Abbas addressed the Socialist International congress in Athens. He said that there is a lot of obsticals that need to be solved in the ongoing talks with Israel, adding that the gap between the two sides is still large.

The Palestinian leader stated also that the Israeli government has not taken clear and firm positions showing its will to protect this rare chance of achieving peace in the region.

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