The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met on
Wednesday in Ramallah with the two U.S. envoys, David Welch, deputy
secretary of state, and Elliot Abrams, deputy national security
advisor, Palestinian sources reported.
Senior Palestinian official said among other things, the intended
Israeli unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip and arrangements
for the upcoming visit of Abbas to Washington were discussed in the
meeting.
‘We have discussed many things, including the Road Map, the
disengagement plan and the U.S. – Palestinian relations and we agreed
to maintain contact on these issues with the U.S. administration.’ Said
Nabil Abu Rdeineh spokesman of Abbas.
He indicated that the Palestinian Authority reiterated its readiness to
coordinate the disengagement and said that series of
Palestinian-Israeli preparatory meetings will be held soon.
Abu Rdeineh remarked that the Palestinian Authority stressed the demand
to halt all settlement activities Israel is carrying out and to
implement the Road Map.
The meeting was concluded without defining date of Abbas’ visit to the U.S., however Abu Rdeineh said, it will be in mid-May.
Eliot and Abrams arrived into the country on Tuesday and held meetings
with the Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei and Foreign Minister
Nasser Al-Kidweh.
Al-Kideweh, who was recently appointed Minister, is nephew to the Late
President Yasser Arafat and was the Palestinian representative to the
United Nations for a long time.
