Saudi Arabian King Abdullah and Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Fatah party, have agreed that the king will oversee talks between Fatah and Hamas, according to PA aide Riyadh Jamal Shobaki. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert previously has said he would halt negotiations with the PA if Abbas were to try to resume ties with the rival Hamas terrorist party.
Shobaki told the French news agency AFP that Abbas and King Abdullah also talked about negotiations with Israel, which will be highlighted this week by the return of American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the region.