The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Jerusalem

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas will meet on Friday in an effort to bridge gaps over a joint statement being crafted for a US meeting, an official said. The two leaders will meet one-on-one at Olmert's residence in Jerusalem for the second time this month, the Israeli government official told AFP. The Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams appointed by Olmert and Abbas met again on Wednesday to continue hammering out an agreement over the joint statement outlining a solution to the Middle East conflict. Both sides want to present the statement at an international gathering planned in Annapolis, Maryland later this year and seen as a stepping stone to direct negotiations on a permanent peace deal. The two sides have agreed that the document will refer to the thorniest problems of the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- including borders, refugees and the status of Jerusalem. But while the Palestinians want a detailed agreement and timeframe for implementing solutions to the core issues, Israel seeks a looser document. Olmert has recently hardened his position towards the Palestinians by stating that Israel would not move to implement any deal before Abbas cracks down on militants.