Asked if Mahmoud Abbas is a partner in peace, Olmert said the Palestinian President "has to prove himself - meaning he should fulfill the demands of the international community."
'Abbas has to prove himself.' (Photo: Reuters)
For an hour, the two leaders spoke at the Elysee Palace. Prior to the meeting, during a public announcement before the press, the prime minister made sure not to forget the realignment plan, as the French government opposes unilateral steps.
'No humanitarian crisis in Gaza'
Olmert said that the conversation with Chirac concentrated on three major issues: The importance of dialogue with the Palestinians; the worrying crisis in the PA; and the realignment plan.
The PM stated that his recent meetings with President George W. Bush, President Hosni Mubarak, Prime Minister Tony Blair, King Abdullah and Chirac, led him to in the conclusion that the realignment plan cannot be prevented.
Reiterating the principles of the plan, Olmert stressed it includes willingness on Israel's part to concede some territories, a consolidation of the existing West Bank settlements into settlement blocs and a return of some of the settler population into the Green Line borders, a defensible border for Israel and a Palestinian state alongside it.
"This plan will either be implemented in the framework of negotiations with the Palestinians and world leaders – or carried out by us, while understanding the difficulties."
Referring to the situation in the PA, Olmert claimed that "there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. I stand behind my words. There is no problem of food, but there is an attempt to superficially create an atmosphere of crisis. There may be a financial crisis there, nothing else."