Sharon and Abbas meet in Jerusalem
Palestinian and Israeli prime ministers began a summit meeting in Jerusalem tonight, where they planned to discuss disagreements over a US-backed Mid East peace deal.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas arrived at the Jerusalem office of his Israeli counterpart, Ariel Sharon, for their second meeting in two weeks.
Abbas’s convoy arrived from the West Bank town of Ramallah in a rare sandstorm in Jerusalem, brought on by wind from the deserts of Jordan and Egypt.
Palestinian officials said they would demand that Israel issue a statement recognising the right of the Palestinians to a state, and Israel planned to insist on a Palestinian crackdown on militant groups.
Both issues are key parts of the “road map” peace plan presented on May 1 to the two sides by the “Quartet” of Mid East mediators – the United States, Europe, Russia and the United Nations – a day after Abbas took office.
US President George Bush has called the two leaders to a meeting next week in Jordan to discuss the road map and work toward starting its implementation.
