Rice: Deal on Gaza crossings near

The Palestinian Authority and the United States have reached an agreement on all issues pertaining to Gaza, including the border crossings, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Monday following his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Ramallah.

Palestinian sources said that during the past few days Quartet envoy James Wolfensohn has been drafting a deal that would resolve the disputed issues.

According to the Palestinians, the deal will include the safe passageway between Gaza and the West Bank and easing restrictions on the Palestinian population, including the removal of no less than 125 checkpoints in the West Bank. The implementation of the first phase of Wolfensohn’s plan is scheduled to begin as early as Tuesday.

The issue of Israel’s demand for presence at the Rafah crossing has not been settled as of yet, and Israel’s demand to install video cameras for security purposes has not been accepted.

Citing security concerns, Israel has pushed for a video link through which it could view Palestinians crossing the frontier. Palestinians oppose this.

However, Israel has accepted Rice’s compromise offer, whereby Israeli, Palestinian and European representatives would monitor the crossings from a joint operations room.

Rice said following the meeting with Abbas that there was an "agreement in sight" for freedom of movement for Palestinians to and from Gaza following Israel's pullout from the territory in September.

Rice, speaking at a news conference after separate talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, voiced confidence the remaining issues could be resolved.

"It is very important for ordinary Palestinians ... That there be freedom of movement established between Gaza and the West Bank," she said.

'More and more scandalous'

Abbas said he and Rice discussed the Palestinians’ demand for the operation of a sea and air port in Gaza.

“We spoke of all the ways to realize the Palestinian dream to establish an independent state that would exist alongside Israel in peace,” Abbas said during the press conference.

Abbas, who praised Rice’s remarks against the expansion of Israeli settlements, added, “We made it clear to Rice that we are determined to reach a point in which there is one armed central authority. We also thank President (George W.) Bush for his continued support for an independent Palestinian state.”

As to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s harsh statement regarding the annihilation of Israel, Rice said, “Each time he opens his mouth it sounds more and more scandalous.” 

Also on Monday, Vice Premier Shimon Peres met and E.U. Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana in Jerusalem. The two expressed their concern for the delay in reopening the Rafah border crossing and passage between the Gaza Strip and West Bank and agreed on principles for a European supervision of the Rafah crossing.

The Palestinian Authority is demanding presence at the Kerem Shalom crossing in the southern Negev. A government official said in response, "this is a strange request. Perhaps they are demanding a request to equal our demand to place cameras at the Rafah crossing."

"There is no chance this request will be approved," the official concluded.