The Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers met in west Jerusalem on Sunday to discuss issues expected to focus on the release of more Palestinian prisoners and Israeli pullout from the Palestinian territories.

The meeting was held ahead of separate talks slated for late July between Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and US President George W. Bush and between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Bush in the United States.

Israeli, Palestinian PMs Meet on Prisoners Issue in Jerusalem

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas were meeting Sunday afternoon at Sharon's office in Jerusalem for talks expected to focus on the release of more Palestinian prisoners.

Israel Radio on Sunday quoted Palestinian sources as saying that Abbas will call for the release of some 450 prisoners held in Israel for over 20 years.

According to a report on Sunday's Jerusalem Post, Sharon is expected to tell Abbas at the meeting that Israel will release some Islamic Jihad and Hamas prisoners without "blood on their hands."

The report said Israel would release those Islamic Jihad and Hamas prisoners who were from the two radical organizations' "civic branches" and "not involved in murdering people."

Sunday's meeting comes about 10 days after Abbas cancelled a meeting with Sharon. The meeting will also be the first of a series of diplomatic talks for the Palestinian prime minister, who will later visit Jordan and Egypt, and then meet with US President George Bush in Washington on Friday.

The Israeli cabinet met Sunday morning to discuss the expected prisoner release. Cabinet member Gideon Ezra, from Sharon's Likud Party and a member of the ministerial committee which will oversee the prisoner release, also told local press after the meeting that Israel may release Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners without "blood on their hands."

"I think it is possible to free people from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, with the obvious provision that they don't have blood on their hands," Ezra said.

(Xinhua News Agency July 21, 2003)