Olmert and Abbas to meet at end of month

Israeli and Palestinian leaders will hold talks in about two weeks in a meeting with US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, an Israeli official said today.

The meeting between Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas will take place the week of Feb. 19 during an expected visit by Rice to the region, Olmert spokeswoman Miri Eisin said.

The Yediot Ahronot daily said the meeting would be on February 19, but Eisin said a final date has not been set.

The talks are aimed at restarting long-stalled peace efforts. Israel and the US have been trying to bolster Abbas, a moderate who wants to restart peace talks, in his power struggle with the hard-line Islamic militant group Hamas.

Palestinian officials are slated to meet Rice this week in Washington to prepare for the meeting.