Sharon and Abbas head into talks

Ariel Sharon will demand a crackdown on militants and Mahmoud Abbas will push for wide-ranging moves to ease the burdens of occupation when the Israeli and Palestinian leaders meet for their first summit since declaring a truce in February.

The session this afternoon at Sharon’s Jerusalem residence comes during a rise in violence and fears that a historic window of opportunity – a renewed chance for peace after four and a half years of fighting – is rapidly closing.