RAMALLAH, Jan 2 (KUNA) — The leaders of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and the United States are expected to hold a joint meeting during President George W. Bush’s visit here next week, Israeli media reported Wednesday.
The meeting comes “in an effort to accelerate negotiations on the conflict’s core issues – borders, refugees, and Jerusalem,” reports the Israeli daily “Haaretz,” quoting Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert office sources.
“If the meeting does take place, it will be held in a neutral site – not in the Prime Minister’s residence in Jerusalem. One of the possibilities is the American Consulate in East Jerusalem,” a senior political source in Jerusalem told “Haaretz.” Bush is planned to visit Israel and the Palestinian Authority Wednesday and Thursday as part of a regional tour that will cover seven states in nine days, the paper said. He is expected to meet PA President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert, and a number of Israeli officials.