First summit since evacuation of Jewish settlers

[Violet_Crumble]

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet this month, their first summit since Jewish settlers were evacuated from the Gaza Strip, an Israeli newspaper has said.

A Palestinian official denied the Haaretz report that a summit had been set but said Abbas would welcome new talks with Sharon that could help advance a US-led "road map" to peace.

Citing Israeli political sources, Haaretz said in its online edition that Sharon and Abbas would meet at the end of the month after returning from a September 14-16 summit at the United Nations.

Last month's withdrawals from Gaza and a corner of the West Bank, the first removal by Israel of settlements from occupied land where Palestinians seek statehood, has stirred peace hopes.

Israel's chief of military logistics, Brigadier Eran Ofir, said all ground forces would be out of Gaza within two weeks.

"We believe that by September 15 we will have completed this operation," Ofir told Israel Radio.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/middle-east-crisis/first-summit-since-evacuation-of-jewish-settlers/2005/09/03/1125302782500.html