OLMERT TO MEET WITH ABBAS

Israeli PM Olmert says he'll meet Palestinian presidentLast
Updated Sat, 09 Sep 2006 23:12:18 EDT The Associated Press

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Saturday he would meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and work closely with him to advance peace efforts.Olmert said the meeting was not conditional on the release of Cpl. Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier being held captive by militants with links to the ruling Hamas party. But Olmert said no progress would be made in the peace process until the soldier is released, indicating talks with Abbas could help gain Shalit's freedom.Olmert, who spoke after meeting with visiting British Prime Minister Tony Blair, did not say when he would meet Abbas.I assured Prime Minister Blair that I am ready to work closely with ... Mahmoud Abbas,Olmert said at a joint news conference with his British counterpart. I also told Prime Minister Blair that I intend to meet with him [Abbas].Olmert has not met with Abbas since June.

Shalit was captured on June 25 by militants in Gaza who carried out a cross-border raid on a military outpost in southern Israel.Long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks hit a new obstacle in January when Hamas swept a Palestinian parliamentary election.Blair expressed support for a renewal of Israeli dialogue with Abbas despite the control of the Palestinian parliament and government by Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel or renounce violence.It's very important that we see what we can do to re-energize this process,said Blair.Blair this week gave in to a fierce rebellion in his Labour Party, reluctantly announcing he would resign within a year. He brushed aside suggestions that his Mideast visit was an effort to distract attention from those woes.People can be as cynical as they like, but I've been passionate about this issue [Mideast peace] ... for many years and I'm not going to stop trying on it,he said.

Blair's handling of last month's fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon is a major cause of his political troubles. Many in his party were infuriated by his refusal to break ranks with President George W. Bush and call for a swift end to the fighting, interpreting that stance as a tacit backing of Israel's offensive.He has also alienated many in the Palestinian territories, where a group of prominent intellectuals published a statement Thursday saying he would not be welcome in the West Bank.

Blair plans to meet Abbas there Sunday, but will not see Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas or other members of his administration.Haniyeh blasted Blair in a column published Saturday in the London-based Guardian newspaper, accusing him of having one-sided policies that hurt the Palestinians.At the heart of our region's problems is the Israeli occupation, which has brought about endless suffering and disasters. If you wish to do the right thing, Mr. Blair, then work for the end of occupation without further delay,Haniyeh wrote.© The Canadian Press, 2006