FACTBOX: Olmert and Abbas: the distance between them

Wed May 14, 2008 4:39pm BST
 
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(Reuters) - President George W. Bush, who arrived in Israel on Wednesday to mark its 60th anniversary, will discuss U.S.-sponsored peace talks between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Olmert said ahead of Bush's arrival that the talks have produced "understandings and points of agreement" on some important issues but Palestinian officials expressed skepticism.

After five months of talks, what separates the two sides?

SECURITY:

Ahead of Bush's visit, Middle East envoy Tony Blair said new security arrangements were being brokered by the United States to give Abbas's forces security control over an area in the northern West Bank totaling more than 360 square kilometers (140 square miles), the size of the Gaza Strip.

The security arrangements would initially apply to the city of Jenin and dozens of surrounding villages, but Blair said it could be extended to other parts of the West Bank later. The envoy said Israel would retain overall security responsibility.

Abbas has deployed hundreds of his security forces to Jenin to try to show that his government can exert control after a smaller deployment late last year in Nablus.

Israel has said no peace agreement will be implemented until the Palestinians dismantle militant groups. Palestinians say Israeli restrictions and raids have hindered those efforts.

Hamas Islamists, who seized control of the Gaza Strip in June after routing Abbas's Fatah forces, oppose the talks.  Continued...

 
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