Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Wednesday following a meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that the Palestinians want to agree on a clear and specific document with Israel.

 

A joint statement between Abbas and Rice was cancelled during their two-hour meeting held at Abbas headquarters in Ramallah.

 

However, Abbas stopped to speak to reporters after he bid a good-bye to Rice, saying "the most important thing we want is to have a clear and specific joint document with the Israelis."

 

"This joint document we are seeking to reach with the Israeli side would of course help us to start peace negotiations (on final status issues) also within a specific period of time," Abbas told reporters.

 

It is the eighth meeting between Abbas and Rice within the last few months, as the US had invited both Israel and the Palestinians to join an international summit for peace that would be held by the end of November.

 

"We can't leave things for the circumstances or for coincidences, there should be a clear joint document and there should be a specific period of time in order to get to the final results of our negotiations," said Abbas.

 

(Xinhua News Agency October 18, 2007)