Sharon: we will not negotiate with the current Palestinian leadership

The Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon notified the foreign affairs and security committee at the Israeli Knesset yesterday that Israel will not negotiate with the current Palestinian leadership because it does not implement any of its obligations stated in the Roadmap.

Sharon said he intends to discuss his plan concerning the separation with the Palestinians with the US President George W. Bush by the end of March.

Meantime, Sharon's head office announced that a meeting set between the office's director Dove Viceglass and his Palestinian counterpart Hassan Abu Labdeh was abrogated, intended to prepare for the meeting between Sharon and the Palestinian prime minister Ahmad Qurei'. The office explained that the suicide attack which took place on Sunday in Jerusalem was the reason for abrogating this visit.

A statement read that the director of the prime minister notified its Palestinian counterpart that because of the conditions that resulted from the ugly assassination operation in Jerusalem, there is no way to convene this meeting at the meantime.