By NNN-KUNA
Ramallah : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have held “serious” talks here but did not cover details of core issues such as pertaining to the refugees, the borders, security and Jerusalem, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said.
Issues of the final status were under discussion but did not reach the level of details or documents for issuance, he told reporters after the talks Tuesday.
Erekat, head of the Negotiations Affairs Department of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), noted that no relevant documents had been exchanged between them, saying that media reports on that point were “hypothetical.”
He said that work was continuing on other aspects where documents could be issued but they had nothing to do with official negotiations, referring to the ministerial talks.
According to Erekat, the Palestinian agenda did not include either an interim border state or a substantive long-term solution, either directly or indirectly.
He said Abbas’ stance was clear in that Palestine was striving to put an end to the occupation and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
“I do not want to underrate the negotiations but also I do not want to raise expectations,” Erekat said, noting that Abbas had stressed during the meeting with Olmert that he was seeking peace based on international legitimacy, the Arab peace initiative, the Roadmap and US President George W.Bush’s vision, all calling for an end to the occupation.
Tuesday’s talks addressed issues related to prisoners, the Israeli siege on the Palestinians and the agreement to provide IDs to 54,000 Palestinians who have returned from abroad.
Erekat said the president had warned against the move to tighten the siege on Gaza as well as banning exports and imports from and into the Strip, which could lead to a catastrophe.