Wolfensohn will visit Gaza shortly; elections on time

The US envoy James D. Wolfensohn will head to Gaza next week in the first visit to the sector after he was appointed an envoy for the Quartet committee to follow up the unilateral Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

In statements, the envoy said that his main mission is to listen to view points of sides, noting that he followed up the Middle East question closely through his presidency to the World Bank.

Meantime, the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced the readiness of the Palestinian Authority to coordinate with Israel over the withdrawal from Gaza. Abbas will be hold talks with the Jordanian king Abdullah II following his talks in Sharm al-Sheikh with the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Abbas said in a press conference in Sharm al-Sheikh that his talks with Mubarak dealt with measures taken by the Palestinian Authority at the internal level and developments concerning Sharm al-Sheikh understandings.

The Palestinians asked Mubarak to interfere with Israel and the American administration to stop what they described as the Israeli slowness in carrying out withdrawals from the cities and releasing the prisoners and lifting restrictions off the Palestinians as well as solving the problems of expelled Palestinians.

On the other hand, Abbas ruled out postponing the Palestinian legislative elections expected in July this year.