No Bush letter for Abbas

WASHINGTON - Palestinian Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday he would ask U.S. President George W. Bush to fulfill his vision of a viable, sovereign Palestinian state and to press the Jewish state to halt all settlement construction.

“We are committed to negotiations as the only means to achieve this vision of a two-state solution," Reuters quoted Abbas as saying. "What is needed from the United States is a clear political position on fulfilling this vision."

Abbas is also expected to ask Bush for a written committment to the Palestinians, similar to a letter he gave Prime Minister Ariel Sharon last year in which he stated his support for Israel’s plan to dismantle Gaza Strip and northern West Bank settlements while strengthening large settlement blocs in the West Bank.

But a diplomatic source in Washington expect Bush will not accede to the request.

“(Abbas) will receive a lot of hugs in front of the cameras, but inside, the talks will be difficult,” the source said. “The president may congratulate him on his courage, his public statements against terror and about the need to help him financially.”

Abbas' visit marks the first by a Palestinian leader to the White House in more than five years. The United States and Israel shunned the late Yasser Arafat, who visited in 1999, after the start of a Palestinian uprising in September 2000.

Rice: Unaware of letter

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice told Agence France Press Wednesday that Bush was committed to a two state solution of a viable, contiguous Palestinian state, as Abbas has repeatedly demanded, but hinted the Palestinian leader would not receive assurances in writing.

“There hasn't been a discussion of a letter that I'm aware of. The words are there. He's got the commitment.”

The United States has expressed hope the Palestinian leader help bring an end to violence. Abbas declared a cease-fire with Sharon in February in a bid to end more than four years of violence. He later pressed Palestinian terrorist groups to accept a de facto truce in March and has called on Israel to resume peace talks.

Sharon has said Israel will not renew talks on any final peace deal with the Palestinians until Abbas reins in terrorists and dismantles their organizations. The Palestinian leader has largely preferred to negotiate with gunmen rather than confront them and has vowed never to disarm them.

Bush is expected to declare his intention to transfer millions of dollars directly to the Palestinian Authority, the source added. The United States had previously streamed aid to the Palestinians through private relief organizations out of concerns of corruption by the late Yasser Arafat.

While Congress has provided USD 200 million overall for the Palestinians this year, Bush has requested another USD 150 million for the fiscal year beginning October 1.