United States President George Bush will not hold a three-way meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas during a trip to the Middle East next week, US sources said Thursday. Bush will visit the Palestinian Authority’s Mukata compound in Ramallah and speak with Abbas and PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.
Bush is expected to discuss ongoing negotiations between Israel and the PA in an attempt to push talks forward despite recent difficulties. Aides said they could not comment on Bush’s position on Israel’s security demands, saying only, “These are subjects that Israel and the Palestinians will need to agree on.”