Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the Palestinian National Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas met here on Thursday for their first summit since the Annapolis peace conference held late last month.
During the meeting, the two leaders will try to overcome the obstacles still impeding negotiation efforts, the settlement construction in particular.
Abbas is expected to demand Olmert adhere to the Roadmap and cease all construction in the settlements as a precondition to continuing talks.
According to a senior Palestinian official, President Abbas will also emphasize the necessary of Israeli seriousness in the talks with the Palestinians.
"If this meeting fails, the vision presented by the U.S. President (George W.) Bush at the Annapolis peace conference will be in jeopardy," warned the official.
"The Palestinian (National) Authority hopes that Israel will take its commitment to the process seriously and stop erecting obstacles in our path," he added.
Meanwhile, officials in Jerusalem claimed that Israel will do its utmost to make progress in the negotiations.
"We want to change the direction of the negotiations," an official was quoted by local daily Ha'aretz as saying, adding that "The first two meetings of the negotiating teams failed and we would want to see positive progress."
"We attach great importance to our dialogue with the Palestinian leadership and we understand that the process is challenging," Olmert spokesman Mark Regev said ahead of the meeting at the prime minister's residence. "Israel is committed to doing everything we can to make this process work."
Olmert and Abbas are also expected to tackle issues ranging from the removal of checkpoints in the West Bank, the situation in the Gaza Strip, and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Source: Xinhua
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