News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) The office of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has confirmed that he will meet Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in Jericho on Monday, the first time the two leaders will meet in Judea and Samaria. Previous plans for a meeting in Jericho have been thwarted by security concerns.

Prime Minister Olmert previously has said he will not skip over the Roadmap plan for temporary borders for a new Arab state. He also has said he will not talk with Abbas on "final status" issues, such as Jerusalem and the immigration of foreign Arabs, but instead is now using language such as "principles for an agreement."

The Bush administration is anxious to present final plans for a new Arab state at a proposed international conference on the Middle East to be held in the United States in the fall.