Olmert makes offers after meeting Abbas

JERUSALEM - In a meeting with the Palestinian leader, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert yesterday proposed freeing some prisoners, lifting some West Bank roadblocks, and creating a team to work on a broad agreement ahead of a U.S.-sponsored peace conference in November.

Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas agreed in their three hours of talks in Jerusalem to set up a top-level team to discuss "ways of advancing the peace process and of reaching a two-state solution" - the stated goal of the Palestinians, Israel and the United States, Olmert spokesman David Baker said.

Later yesterday, Abbas called the talks successful and said two working groups would be set up.

In July, President Bush called for a Mideast peace conference, and the United States wants Israel and the Palestinians to make significant progress in their talks ahead of it. The Palestinians hope to achieve the outlines of a final peace deal and have warned that the conference would be a failure without such an announcement.

Olmert has sought to bolster Abbas and his Western-backed government in the West Bank since the Islamic group Hamas seized power in the Gaza Strip in June. Abbas' subsequent ouster of Hamas from the Palestinian government has freed him to pursue peace efforts with Israel.

Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas government, proposed yesterday that he meet with Abbas in Saudi Arabia, Haniyeh's office said.

Abbas, who has rebuffed repeated offers by Hamas leaders to resume contacts, reiterated yesterday that the group first must apologize and withdraw its forces from Palestinian security posts in Gaza.

At yesterday's meeting, Olmert offered gestures - releasing some Palestinian prisoners during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins this week, and pressing Israel's defense establishment to ease travel restrictions in the West Bank, Olmert spokeswoman Miri Eisin said.

Abbas has sought a release of Palestinian prisoners to shore up his public standing. Israel holds about 11,000 Palestinians, and their fate is an emotional issue in Palestinian society.

Abbas and Olmert also agreed to set up several professional teams to deal with subjects that must be settled before a final-status agreement, such as water, the environment, energy, economics and infrastructure, Eisin said.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat confirmed that the leaders had agreed to "form working teams to work on achieving the two-state solution." He said the two would meet again within two weeks.

Erekat also said that Abbas had asked Israel to remove 16 major West Bank checkpoints but that Olmert had made no firm commitment.

Palestinians say the roadblocks are strangling their economy and severely disrupting daily life. Israel says they are necessary to prevent suicide bombings and other attacks.