Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Tuesday reiterated that his government will push forward the peace talks both with Syria and the Palestinians.
With the third round of indirect talks with Syria underway in Turkey, Olmert told a conference held in south Israel that this process will continue until it matures into negotiations that lead to a comprehensive peace deal, local daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported on its web site.
"At the same time, we shall continue our talks with the Palestinians. I will be meeting with (Palestinian President) Mahmoud Abbas and continue the indirect meetings with Syria," he was quoted as saying.
The prime minister attended the conference after touring the nuclear reactor complex near the southern desert town of Dimona, amid increasing speculations that Israel might launch a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Meanwhile, Abbas said he hopes that a comprehensive peace deal with Israel could be reached within the year, ahead of a meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on the sidelines of a Socialist International conference in Greece.
"We hope that before the end of this year, and this is a hope, we can reach a true agreement for the end of the occupation and violence ...between Israel and Palestine," Abbas told the conference, adding that "the painful truth is that we still have along way to go."
Source:Xinhua
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