OTTAWA - Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas will discuss ways to re-energize the Middle East peace process when they meet in Ottawa Friday, senior government officials said Thursday.
"We're at a key moment in the Middle East. There's a real window of opportunity," a Canadian official said as Abbas met with US President George W. Bush in Washington Thursday.
The official pointed to the Palestinian presidential election in January and the planned Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank in the coming months as providing a possible "impetus for the roadmap and ultimately the revival of the peace process."
"(Abbas) comes to Canada as a democratically legitimate leader of the Palestinian people. He has taken important steps in his time as president. He has rejected violence. He has rejected terrorism and incitement and he's moving forward with reforms on corruption," the official said.
Abbas arrived in the United States Tuesday ahead of talks with Bush for his first visit as Palestinian leader to press for a "clear" US commitment to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Discussions between Martin and Abbas will focus on issues of good governance, the implications of the Israeli withdrawal, Canada's plans to increase its contributions to the peace process and Palestinian refugees, the official said.
They will also talk about judicial reform and ways to improve the Palestinian economy. "One of (Abbas's) greatest challenges over the next little while will be to create jobs and reduce poverty," the official said.
As well, Martin will reiterate the need for both sides to implement their commitments under the roadmap, which was brokered by the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations but has become deadlocked.
The prime minister has spoken with Abbas "a couple of times" in recent months since Palestinian elections were held, his spokeswoman Melanie Gruer told AFP Wednesday.
Martin also has a strong relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, so he may talk with Abbas about how to better coordinate the Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian territories, Gruer said.
05/26/2005 17:38 GMT