The meeting which will join the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas with the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in early October, will focus on the final settlement and other issues, Palestinian sources said on Tuesday.
Dr. Saeb Ereikat, chief negotiator of the Palestinian Authority was quoted as saying, ‘In Sharon -Abbas meeting slated early October will focus on a number of issues , first and foremost, the final settlement issues; borders, refugees, water and others.’
Erakat explained that president Abbas ‘will set forth in the meeting the Israeli withdrawal issue from Gaza Strip and not make Gaza first and last. It should be attached with other withdrawals from the West Bank and Jerusalem, meant a withdrawal to 1967 borders in order to establish a sovereign Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as the capital as penciled in by the international resolutions.’
The chief negotiator also remarked that president Abbas will insist that Palestinian should have full control on the border terminals and crossings including the airport as well as uplifting the restrictions strained the free movement of the residents and goods amongst the different areas of the West Bank.
In the meeting, slated to be held on October 2, Abbas will also stress that all settlement activities to seize and halt the ongoing construction of the separation wall, Ereikat added.
The upcoming Palestinian parliamentary elections will also be on the agenda of the meeting.
Ereikat said that Abbas will make it clear that any Israeli intervention in the Palestinian election will be rejected as it is an internal affair.
Sharon, in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York few days ago, has threatened to thwart the elections if Hamas will contest it, by keeping the current checkpoints and army road blocks in place which will hinder the voters to reach the balloting stations.
