United States National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice was meeting Saturday evening with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas in Jericho. Security Minister Mohammed Dahlan and Foreign Minister Nabil Sha'ath were also participating in the meeting. During their meeting, Rice delivered an official invitation to the White House to Abbas, Palestinians said.
Rice, who arrived in Israel on Saturday, is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz on Sunday. She will also hold talks with PA Finance Minister Salam Fayyad.
Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Amr called Rice's visit "a very strong and encouraging sign of the United States' seriousness in implementing the Mideast road map."
Earlier Saturday, Abbas told a crowd of Palestinian protestors in the West Bank city of Ramallah that "There will be no peace or security if even one Palestinian prisoner remains behind bars. Be sure that we will exert our utmost in order to empty all prisons of prisoners."
The crowd confronted Abbas demanding that he pressure Israel to free the prisoners. Many of the protesters were carrying large photographs of Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons.
Coming out of his office to speak to the noisy crowd, Abbas told them he bring their demands to Rice's attention during their meeting Saturday evening.
Meanwhile in Cairo, intensive meetings continued Saturday between Islamic Jihad, Hamas and Fatah to work out the final wording of a truce declaration, and efforts were on to bring 10 smaller factions on board.
A statement faxed to the AP in the name of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, which is linked to Fatah movement, said that group had not yet committed itself to the deal, apparently because there was no Israeli guarantee on the release of Palestinian prisoners.
"We do not agree to stop the resistance against the Israeli occupation," said Jamil al-Majdalawi, a senior member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
