Israeli &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/main/2002/04/22/27872.html ' target=_blank>Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said in an interview published on Sunday that he was ready to meet Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and try to coordinate a Gaza pullout with a new Palestinian government.
In a separate interview also with Newsweek magazine, the &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/main/2002/11/26/39973.html ' target=_blank>Palestinian leader said he too was ready for a summit with Sharon, but after the January 9 elections in the Palestinian territories, in which he is a leading candidate to replace Yasser Arafat as President.
"When they would like to meet, we will meet," Sharon said, when asked whether he was ready to meet with Abbas, also known as &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/hotspots/2002/06/28/31404.html ' target=_blank>Abu Mazen.
Abbas, responding to a similar question, said that "after the elections, I’m ready to meet at any time with Sharon", wrote the Indian Express.
According to the Daily Star, Israel rejected any talks with Arafat, accusing the late president of fomenting bloodshed in a Palestinian uprising that began in 2000. Arafat always denied the allegation.
Since Arafat's death, Sharon has softened his opposition to Palestinian Authority involvement in the planned pullout from Gaza and parts of the &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/hotspots/2002/05/12/28525.html ' target=_blank>West Bank, saying he hoped to avoid a withdrawal under fire from militants.
"I am going to make every effort to coordinate our disengagement plan with the new Palestinian government - one that can assume control over areas we evacuate," Sharon said.
Israel has already agreed to another key Palestinian demand, to keep its troops away from Palestinian areas during the January election, to keep interference at a minimum.
As for Sharon's withdrawal plan, it calls for a complete withdrawal from Gaza, and a pullout from four small settlements in the West Bank.
Roughly 8,800 settlers are to be uprooted from their homes under the evacuation plan, set to begin on July 3, 2005.
It has broad backing from Israelis, but many Jewish settlers are vehemently opposed to the plan, and have vowed to resist any evacuation.
For his part, Abbas said Palestinians still want the state promised to them under the "road map" to peace and believe it can still be achieved in the next 13 months, says CTV News.
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