Sharon and Abbas hold peace meeting

The Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers held a two-hour meeting today, kicking off 10 days of international diplomacy aimed at strengthening a fragile Middle East cease-fire and advancing the US-backed “road map” peace plan.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas left Israeli premier Ariel Sharon’s Jerusalem residence after a meeting expected to focus on the release of Palestinian prisoners, which Palestinian security chief Mohammed Dahlan said was at the top of the agenda for the Palestinians.