Mr. Abbas told the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland Thursday that he is ready to start peace negotiations without delay.
He spoke at a session attended by Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres.
An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said earlier Thursday that top Palestinian and Israeli officials will meet during the Davos gathering, but did not specify when. The World Economic Forum continues through January 28.
The international community has made efforts in recent months to rejuvenate the long-stalled peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.
Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she expects the pace of contacts on Middle East peace efforts to accelerate in coming weeks.
Meanwhile, in the West Bank, Israeli troops killed a young Palestinian militant in the town of Tulkarem. 17-year-old Fadel Balawneh was shot dead after attempting to flee from a building surrounded by the soldiers. Local authorities said he was a member of Islamic Jihad. - VOA News
Posted January 25th, 2007 by Dinka
