By Xinhua
Jerusalem : Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will meet later on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told a joint news conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Jerusalem.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who heads the Israeli negotiating team, will continue the negotiations with the Palestinian side led by Ahmed Qurei, Olmert said.
The negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians have shown little sign of progress since they were launched at a U.S.-hosted peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland in November.
“We haven’t stopped, we aren’t stopping and we won’t stop the peace talks, not until we achieve the essential results we so strongly believe in,” Olmert told reporters.
According to local daily Ha’aretz, an Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Livni and Qurei met secretly about 10 days ago but the session was not publicly disclosed.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat declined to comment.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas temporarily suspended the negotiations earlier this month after an Israeli offensive in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip killed more than 120 Palestinians.
However, Israel said the incursion was meant to counter rocket attacks by Palestinian militants from the coastal enclave.