Olmert hopes talks can lead to Palestinian state

ericho, Occupied West Bank: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday voiced hope that his talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would soon lead to negotiations on the creation of a Palestinian state.

Olmert agreed to expand the scope of discussions with Abbas to include “fundamental issues” that are key to Palestinian statehood, Palestinian officials said.

"I came here … hoping that this will lead us soon into negotiations about the creation of a Palestinian state," Olmert said to Abbas at the start of their talks in Jericho.

Olmert and Abbas met for nearly three hours in the first visit by an Israeli prime minister to a West Bank city since 2000.

Ismail Haniya, the prime minister of the Hamas-led government that Abbas sacked, called the Jericho meeting a public relations gimmick.

Israeli officials said the goal was to reach agreement on common principles on borders and refugees but would not touch on whether Jewish settlements would be uprooted.

If Olmert and Abbas agree on "principles", they will be presented to the conference expected to be held in November, Israeli and Western officials said.

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