Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday he would urge a new U.S. president to make peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians a priority. "If we assume we do not reach an agreement (under the current administration), we urge the new U.S. administration to immediately follow up the peace process and treat it as a priority," Abbas said during a news conference in Ramallah.
According to Reuters, Palestinian sources said Abbas would meet American President George W. Bush on Sept. 26 in Washington to review the peace process. "We will talk to President Bush about where we have reached in our negotiations with the Israelis and point out the areas of agreement and disagreement," he said.
He also reiterated his objection to any interim agreements that did not cover all core issues. "We are not seeking an interim agreement or an agreement that doesn't include the core issues," he said. "We either achieve a comprehensive agreement or nothing. We are working on this basis. Can we achieve this before the end of this year? This requires great effort and we will continue our effort, but we cannot say we can certainly achieve such an agreement by the end of this year," Abbas said.
Meanwhile, rival Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said on Saturday night his movement supported reconciliation among Palestinians provided there was no external pressure and all issues were discussed.
"Do not back Hamas into a corner," Meshaal said in the Syrian capital Damascus. "Pressure and siege have been tried against Hamas and Hamas remained steadfast. We are for national reconciliation as long as it is conducted without external pressures and for a dialogue that puts all the issues on the table," he said, according to Reuters.
"Hamas is on the side of its Arab brothers. It is unfair to blame the Palestinians for the schism and (ignore) the U.S. and Israeli role," said Meshaal.
