Abbas in plea with Bush to resume peace talks

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today told US President George Bush that now was the time to resume Mideast peace talks.

The call focused on the ongoing situation following the Islamic militant Hamas group's takeover of the Gaza Strip last week, Abbas aide Nabil Abu Rdeneh told the official Palestinian news agency, WAFA, in a statement.

"President Abbas told Mr Bush that this was the time to resume the political negotiations and to revive the hope of the Palestinian people," Abu Rdeneh said.

In Washington, the White House said Bush called Mr Abbas "to express support for him and the Palestinian moderates".

Mr Bush welcomed Mr Abbas' suggestions and ideas "and said clearly these are areas for a lot of discussion the rest of this week", National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.

Mr Bush will meet tomorrow with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

"He (Bush) will raise these issues with Prime Minister Olmert so all parties involved can discuss them and can discuss the best way forward to what everyone wants, which is a Palestinian state living side by side in peace with Israel," Johndroe said.

Since the Islamic group seized control of Gaza, Mr Abbas has dismantled the coalition government of his Fatah movement and Hamas, and installed a new government led by a political independent, Salam Fayyad.

With Hamas out of the government, the European Union today announced it would lift punishing sanctions on the Palestinian Authority, imposed after Hamas swept Palestinian parliamentary elections in January 2006.

The US and Israel have indicated that they may follow suit.

In New York yesterday, Mr Olmert said Israel would be a "genuine partner" of the new Palestinian government.