Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, February 04, 2004
Qurei, Sharon to hold meeting this weekend: sources
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei and his Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon are planning to hold their first meeting ever this weekend, Palestinian sources said Wednesday.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei and his Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon are planning to hold their first meeting ever this weekend, Palestinian sources said Wednesday.
A meeting between Qurei's office chief Hassan Abu Lebda and his Israeli counterpart Dove Weissglas scheduled later Wednesday will focus on the preparations for the summit.
The sources said that Qurei had met with Abu Lebda and Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat to discuss the agenda of his meeting with Sharon.
Qurei has voiced to US envoys David Satterfield and John Wolf, who were visiting the Palestinian territories, his unreserved intention to meet with Sharon.
The Palestinian prime minister, however, restated recently that he would not convene with Sharon unless the meeting discusses crucial issues and ends up with tangible results.
Erekat, Abu Lebda and other Palestinian officials had previously held a number of meetings with Weissglas and other Israeli officials to prepare for the Qurei-Sharon talks, but they repeatedly failed in agreeing on the agenda of the talks.