Israeli - Palestinian security, political meetings resumed

Security and political meetings resumed between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Two meetings were held in Jerusalem and the West Bank, hours after the consent of the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon to resume contacts with the Palestinian authorities after he had frozen it on January 14 following a Palestinian operation in Gaza.

Each of the Palestinian negotiations minister Saeb Oreikat and the advisor of the Israeli prime minister Wadov Visglav met in west Jerusalem. The two sides agreed to meet once again in order to discuss convening a summit between the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Sharon.

Oreikat said that the meeting which is considered the first between the two sides since Abbas assumed the authority was deep and the two sides discussed several political and security issues.