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Abbas Freezes Talks With Hamas on Forming Unity Government
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?r=279&ctl=13FD009:A6F02AD83191E1606E70BAF03A692FC19574F7DCC14957C0 Aides say he
suspended talks because of statements by Hamas leaders saying they
refused to accept interim peace deals with Israel Palestinian
officials say President Mahmoud Abbas has frozen talks with the ruling
Hamas party on forming a national unity government.

Mr. Abbas' aides say he suspended the talks because of recent
statements by Hamas leaders in which they refused to accept interim
peace deals with Israel.

Palestinian Prime Minister and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said
Saturday that a unity government under his leadership would not
necessarily recognize Israel's right to exist.

Meanwhile, Palestinian officials say Mr. Abbas will meet President
Bush and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni this week to discuss
reviving the stalled peace process.

The officials say the meetings will take place at the U.N. General
Assembly in New York.

Mr. Abbas is expected to talk with Mr. Bush Wednesday.

Mr. Abbas and Mr. Haniyeh had reached a provisional agreement last
Monday on the platform of a unity government. The platform was to
include a document written by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Mr. Haniyeh says the prisoners' document does not call for recognizing
past agreements between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

In another development, Israeli security officials say they are making
progress in talks to secure the release of an Israeli soldier captured
by Palestinian militants. But the officials say a release could still
take weeks.

The soldier's father, Noam Shalit, said Sunday he has not yet received
any indications that his son is alive.

Mr. Haniyeh said Saturday there was "a lot of movement" in talks with
Egyptian mediators for Shalit's release. Militants holding the soldier
are demanding that Israel free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in
exchange for his release.

Separately, Palestinian militants in Gaza fired several Qassam rockets
into Israel Sunday, wounding one person and causing some damage in the
town of Sderot.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.


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