Israeli, PA Officials Meeting Ahead of Bush Visit
(IsraelNN.com) Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak are meeting Tuesday with two top leaders of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas and Salam Fayyad, ahead of US President George W. Bush's arrival in Israel tomorrow. Israel and the PA hope to reach a list of agreements regarding ongoing bilateral negotiations that they can present to the American president.
The objective of the Olmert-Abbas meeting, according to Israeli officials, is to discuss "negotiations and core issues." An unnamed official source in Ramallah told the Chinese news agency that the Olmert-Abbas meeting was called to "discuss recent developments, which occurred after the Annapolis peace conference held in November."
Prime Minister Olmert and PA Chairman Abbas reportedly reached certain general agreements in recent weeks. Negotiating teams from Israel and the PA have held a series of meetings at which the initial outline for the agreements was developed.
Parallel with the Olmert-Abbas meeting on Tuesday, Defense Minister Barak is meeting with the PA's Fatah-affiliated Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. Barak and Fayyad are to draft agreements regarding security issues affecting Israel and the PA.
Barak said on Sunday that a recent General Security Services (GSS) report indicates that the PA under Abbas is making an effort to exercise security control in areas formally under its jurisdiction. According to the report, PA forces loyal to Abbas have arrested 250 Hamas terrorists in the past month, primarily in Shechem. However, most of those arrested were released after relinquishing their weapons. Despite the PA's reported recent law enforcement activities and over PA objections, Barak said that the IDF will continue to carry out counter-terrorist operations in Shechem and other areas in which PA forces are active. %ad%
US Security Forces Take Control
Meanwhile, heavy security arrangements have been put in place ahead of the arrival of President Bush on Wednesday. In addition to the extensive police and military presence and blocked roads in Jerusalem, American helicopters have been in the air over Bethlehem since Monday. Bush is scheduled to visit the city later this week.
PA sources said that dozens of American security personnel have spread throughout the streets of Bethlehem, as well. The US forces are carrying out a sweep of the route President Bush is to use and are working to provide maximum protection for the American delegation.
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