Olmert says to meet with Abbas

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday that he will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for the resumption of negotiations on the road map peace plan.

Olmert made the remarks at a joint conference with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el- Sheikh.

But he did not give a specific date for his meeting with Abbas.

Israel is willing to negotiate with the Palestinians on the internationally-backed roadmap peace plan, which Olmert said is Israel's first priority.

Olmert, however, said that the Palestinian side should meet the requirements set in the roadmap plan before resuming the negotiations.

Under the internationally-backed roadmap plan, the Palestinians are expected to dismantle militant groups while Israel should freeze settlement expansion. Neither side has fulfilled the commitment.

Source: Xinhua