By Xinhua,
Ramallah : Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat announced on Tuesday that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will meet in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
Erekat told Palestinian radio “Voice of Palestine” that Abbas and Olmert will meet on Wednesday at the latter’s house in Jerusalem to discuss the results of the peace talks held between the two sides in Washington last week.
The meeting between the two will be the first since Olmert, who is accused of corruption, announced last week that he is not intended to run in the primary elections of his ruling Kadima party.
Last week, Israeli chief negotiator Tzipi Livni and her Palestinian counterpart Ahmed Quriea held talks in Washington and met with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Well-informed high-ranking Palestinian sources said on Monday that both negotiators had reached understandings on several permanent status issues and on declaring an agreement reached between the two sides before the year-end.
The sources said that Rice, who will visit the region on Aug. 20, will try to exert pressure on Israel and the Palestinians to declare a peace agreement before the end of this year.