Abbas hopes for Palestine-Israel peace within a year

PALESTINIAN president Mahmoud Abbas yesterday said he hopes to reach a peace deal with Israel within a year, after reportedly receiving a promise from George Bush that the US president will push hard to conclude a Mideast agreement before the end of his term in 2008.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert wants to start by formulating a “declaration of principles” with Abbas on the contours of a Palestinian state in Gaza and most of the West Bank, Olmert’s aides said, confirming a report in the Israeli daily Ha’aretz.

However, such a declaration would likely sidestep the most explosive issues, such as final borders, an arrangement for Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees.