Abbas-Sharon talks may be delayed to November

[Englander]

Last update - 09:28 10/10/2005

By Aluf Benn, Amos Harel and Arnon Regular, Haaretz Correspondents

The scheduled Tuesday summit between PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon may be postponed until November, after the Palestinian Authority informed Israel that it sees no point in holding the meeting as planned.

According to Palestinian sources, it is important for them to come out of the meeting with concrete achievements that they will be able to show their public, but the Israeli proposal leaves them empty-handed.

In contacts held on Monday, the sides discussed the wording of an announcement that may be released on Monday, according to which joint negotiating teams will resume discussions, and the summit will be delayed until November.

>snip

Sharon's adviser, Dov Weissglas, met on Sunday with PA Minister Saeb Erekat for a preparatory talk that lasted a mere half hour. Weissglas gave Erekat a written version of Israel's proposals regarding the renewal of the joint committee work on various issues, including the release of Palestinian prisoners, the transfer of West Bank cities to the PA and the handling of wanted men. At the meetings on Sunday, the sides discussed the option of postponing the summit until November.

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[Englander]

2. Discord leads Sharon, Abbas to delay talks

By Joel Greenberg, Chicago Tribune | October 11, 2005

JERUSALEM -- Disagreements yesterday over troop pullbacks and the release of Palestinian prisoners postponed a meeting today between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas. It would have been the first talks between the two since Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip

The delay of the summit, at least to the end of the month, indicated that despite hopes that the Gaza withdrawal would help revive peace efforts, Israel and the Palestinians remain deadlocked.

The summit was to have been held today, in advance of an Abbas visit to Washington on Oct. 20. But disagreements in talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials led to the postponement.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2005/10/11/discord_leads_sharon_abbas_to_delay_talks/