Israel's Livni first meeting with Palestinian prime minister

Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Vice Prime Minister Tzipi Livni met yesterday with the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Salam Fayyad, for the first time since the latter's appointment, Israel's Ministry Of Foreign Affairs said.

It added that "the talk centered mostly on the situation in the PA and on ways to improve the lives of the residents without compromising Israel's security."

The Ministry said that "The Cabinet recommended the release of approximately 250 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, in keeping with the criteria that have been determined in previous Cabinet decisions."

The report said "Minister Livni noted that the new Palestinian government headed by Fayyad seems determined to change the reality of life in the area."

Most recently, Livni was reported by the ministry to have said in article published in Arabic in "Asharq Alawsat" that "For too long, the Middle East has been governed by zero-sum logic. One side's loss was seen as the other's gain. This thinking has brought much suffering to our region."