Olmert, Abbas pledge progress on peace moves

By Adam Entous

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed on Friday to take steps previously agreed under a long-stalled peace plan to try to narrow differences ahead of a U.S.-sponsored conference on establishing a Palestinian state.

The process would be under U.S. supervision, officials said.

But Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, meeting in Jerusalem, failed to agree deadlines for carrying out the "road map" accords of 2003, which commit the Palestinian leadership to suppress militants and Israel to reining in Jewish settlement in the West Bank.

Officials on both sides said they agreed the United States would oversee monitoring of their compliance and pledged to intensify efforts to negotiate a common position on how to set up a Palestinian state before U.S. President George W. Bush's conference convenes near Washington in as little as a month.

But Olmert, facing opposition even within his own cabinet to any sweeping concessions, has rebuffed Palestinian demands for a timetable for creating a Palestinian state -- something Abbas wants to see agreed before Bush steps down in just over a year.

Hamas's seizure of the Gaza Strip in June has further complicated those aspirations and fuelled Israeli doubts about Abbas's ability to control militants. Three of Hamas's fighters were among six Islamist gunmen killed by Israeli troops on Friday in some of the worst fighting in the enclave in weeks.

Olmert responded to a complaint by Abbas about Israeli plans to cut power to Gaza in response to rocket attacks by insisting he would defend Israeli citizens. But his spokeswoman said he also assured Abbas he would not allow a "humanitarian crisis".

"Both sides today reaffirmed their own commitment to the road map," Olmert's spokeswoman Miri Eisin told reporters.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the parties agreed to an "immediate and reciprocal implementation" of the road map.

TIMELINES

On the question of timetables, however, the gap remained.

"We are not talking now about timetables," Eisin said.

Ahmed Qurie, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said Friday's lunch was "constructive" but also told Reuters: "We request a timeline. The Israelis have a different point of view."

Erekat said: "Olmert told Abbas, 'You and I want to see an agreement before Bush leaves office, but I'm worried that if we have a timeline we will not adhere to it. I see it as useless.'

"Abbas said the Palestinians see this as an incentive to reach an agreement and give hope to the people."