Informed sources said the US Administration is working on an attempt to hold a trilateral summit between US President Bush, President Abbas and Israeli PM Olmert. The sources said the summit will most probably be held at the US Consulate Headquarters in West Jerusalem on January 10, and that this summit will come after bilateral meetings that President Bush will hold with Olmert on January 9, in West Jerusalem and with Abbas on January 10, in Ramallah.

Head of the Palestinian negotiations team Ahmad Qurei' described the visit of President Bush as important as it comes directly after the Annapolis Conference and this visit is supposed to support the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. He said the Palestinian side will raise in the meeting with US President Bush a series of issues, especially the settlements. He said: We will raise the issues of settlements and the settlement outposts, and the Israeli checkpoints and the Israeli activities in Jerusalem and we will call for the US arbitrator to assume its role in following up with the parties the implementation of their commitments and to issue its judgment on the party that does not implement its commitments. We will also brief the US President on the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations and we will listen to his viewpoint on this matter. So, the Palestinian main message that US President will hear during his talks that will take place in Ramallah and that will be followed by visits to Jericho and Bethlehem is the need for halt of Israeli settlement activities in the Palestinian lands to give the negotiations a chance. On Tuesday, the two Palestinian envoys traveled to Washington to prepare for the visit.

President Abbas is conducting an Arab tour to Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to coordinate positions and to formulate the Arab unified message to be conveyed to President Bush who will visit the region accompanied by Rice and National Security Adviser Steven Hadley.

Published at Al Ayyam NewsPaper on January 3, 2008