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Rice to visit Middle East mid-October — Erekat

GAZA, Oct 7 (KUNA) — US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to visit the Middle East region in mid-October, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Sunday.
“During her visit, Rice will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert,” he told Radio Palestine.

However, he dismissed as ungrounded reports that Rice would try to arrange a tripartite meeting in Washington involving herself, Abbas and Olmert, in a bid to bring closer their views ahead of the fall conference called by US President George W. Bush.

“Rice will visit the region to follow up negotiations with the Palestinians ahead of the fall conference, especially regarding a document constituting a framework solution with Israel as well as final status issues,” the Palestinian official added.

“The content of this conference will include what will be agreed between the Palestinian and Israeli sides in the coming stage,” he said, urging the US Administration to pressure Israel into observing international legitimacy resolutions.

Erekat also denied as “divorced from reality” reports that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) was ready to drop Palestinian refugees’ right of return in exchange for sharing Jerusalem with Israel.

The ongoing negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians require the implementation of all international legitimacy resolutions on final status issues, he said, referring to the issues of refugees, Jerusalem, Jewish settlements, water, a Palestinian state and borders.