Israel-Palestinian final status talks start Monday

By Wafa Amr

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the most serious peace talks in seven years would begin on Monday and the final deal must address all the sensitive issues including Jerusalem.

Abbas said his chief negotiator, former Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, would meet his Israeli counterpart, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, as part of U.S. President George W. Bush's push for a statehood agreement before leaving office.

"All the issues will be discussed ... We told Bush that we will not accept delaying any of the final-status issues," Abbas said in a speech, referring to state borders, the future of Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees, and Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.

"Without all of these issues we will not be concluding a final deal," Abbas said in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

The meeting will be held in Jerusalem, four days after Bush's visit to Israel and the West Bank in which he set the goal of reaching a peace treaty before he leaves office in January 2009.

On the eve of Bush's visit, Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert authorised talks on all the final-status issues.

But it is unclear whether Olmert is ready to push ahead with substantive talks on the sensitive issue of Jerusalem since doing so could prompt coalition partners, including the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu party, to quit the government.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Aryeh Mekel confirmed the talks would be held in Jerusalem but declined to say what issues would be discussed.