GAZA, Oct 8 (KUNA) — Palestinian and Israeli negotiators are scheduled to meet in Jerusalem on Monday to discuss final status issues, which are to be considered during a Middle East peace conference in Washington in the fall.
The teams are expected to ponder issues of Palestinian refugees, Jerusalem, borders, a Palestinian state, and Jewish settlements.
The Palestinians seek to obtain an unequivocal commitment from Israel towards an end to its occupation of territories in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as an initial step towards the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
They emphasize that a document to be worked out by Palestinian and Israeli negotiators on Monday ought to constitute a springboard for final negotiations over a detailed peace treaty.
They also call for completing such negotiations within six months at most following the US-sponsored Middle East peace conference.
Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he had not reached any agreement with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas over negotiable issues during their last five meetings.
However, Olmert said he did not want the fall conference to be an alternative to direct negotiations with the Palestinians.
US President George W. Bush has recently predicted that his proposed peace conference would be a significant opportunity for earnest talks on a comprehensive peace deal based on a bi-state solution.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is due to visit the region within a few days’ time to add her weight to preparations for the US-sponsored Middle East peace conference.
The US has said the conference must address substantive issues and advance the cause of a Palestinian state