Dr. Saeb Erekat, head of the negotiations file at the Palestinian Liberation Organization said on Thursday that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet with Israel’s Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, on Sunday, on the sidelines of an international economic conference, in Egypt.
Erekat added that Abbas will press for the resumption of peace talks, and that the meeting between the two leader is to take place Sunday in the Egyptian resort of Sharm Al Sheik, where both will attend the World Economic Forum.
“Our main message is that we want to resume the peace talks”, Erekat added, “We want to resume partnership in negotiations”.
The meeting, if conducted, would mark the first high-level Israeli-Palestinian meeting since the new Israeli government, headed by Ehud Olmert, took office earlier this month. It will also coincide with Olmert’s first visit to Washington.
Meanwhile, Mark Regev, a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, said that Livni’s schedule has not been finalized.
When asked whether there is a primary agreement to hold the meeting, Regev stated that "no one on the Israeli side has said Israel will boycott Abbas".
