Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is to meet American President George W. Bush in Egypt at the end of next week, possibly as a preliminary discussion before a rumored summit the following month. The Olmert administration has said the United States has not extended an invitation to attend a summit in mid-May, when President Bush plans to arrive in mid-May for Israel's 60th anniversary celebrations.
The Palestinian Authority said that other Arab leaders may join Abbas in next week's meeting with President Bush. A summit at the Sharm el-Sheikh resort by the Red Sea "could include leaders of Egypt, Jordan and Israel, or it could be confined to Arab leaders from countries such as Jordan, Egypt and maybe Saudi Arabia," said Nimmer Hammad, a senior Abbas aide.