Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations

    RAMALLAH, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Sunday that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert are to meet in Paris on July 13.

    Erekat told reporters in Ramallah that the meeting is planned to be held during an international conference for Middle East countries that will be held in France on July 13.

    Erekat also said that chiefs of Israeli and Palestinian negotiators who will attend the conference in Paris are scheduled to head to Washington on July 16 to hold talks with U.S. Secretaryof State Condoleezza Rice.

    The Palestinian team would leave Paris on July 16 and would hold talks with Condoleezza Rice on July 17, according to Erekat, the talks would focus on the current peace negotiations between the two sides, he added.

    Last week, chief Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qureia had stated that Washington would host three sessions of peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

    He also said that the three sessions of negotiations would be held within the coming three months, aiming at pushing the two sides to agree on outstanding issues in their permanent status issues before the end of the year.