Olmert 'hopeful' of Abbas meeting in coming days

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in comments broadcast today that he hopes to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the coming days.

Asked in an interview with Israel Radio when a summit with Abbas was likely, Olmert said: “I hope in the coming days, I hope. I, in any case, asked him. I told him that I would be happy to meet with him.”

However, Abbas’ aides said they were not interested in a meeting unless they had assurances it would deal with more than the fate of Cpl. Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier captured on June 25 by Hamas-linked militants.

Olmert said that his plan to unilaterally withdraw from chunks of the West Bank is still on the table, but added that he hopes his meeting with Abbas will lead to broader peace talks that will lead to an agreement between the sides, making his programme unnecessary.

Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have been stalled for several years. The election of the Islamic Hamas party to head the Palestinian government has further increased tensions with Israel.

Israel says it will not recognise or talk to the Hamas government unless it renounces violence, recognises Israel and accepts past peace deals, conditions Hamas has so far refused to accept.

Abbas, a moderate who was elected separately, has been trying to pressure Hamas to moderate its views in order to restart peace talks with Israel and get international sanctions against the Palestinians lifted.