Peres to Meet Abbas in Italy

President Shimon Peres left for Italy Thursday afternoon, where he will hold a working meeting Thursday evening with Palestinian Authority Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen).

The two men will open a conference together on Friday morning devoted to the negotiations between Israel and the PA, and relations between Israel and the Arab world.

Also attending the conference will be Arab League Secretary-General Amr Mousa, US Vice President Dick Cheney, European Union Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and senior EU leaders and foreign ministers. Peres will meet with Cheney, Barroso and a number of other officials as well.