JERUSALEM, 15 May 2005 — Palestinian officials said yesterday that President Mahmoud Abbas will meet with President George Bush in the United States on May 26, while in Tulkarm security forces began collecting weapons from wanted militants and incorporating them into the security apparatus.
According to the statement issued yesterday by the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, Abbas will call for Bush to pressure Israel to implement its road map obligations, including a total freeze on settlement activity and the immediate dismantling of unauthorized Jewish outposts in the West Bank.
“The most important thing is to make the Gaza disengagement part of the road map and not an alternative to it, and the key to this is stopping settlement activities and the wall,” chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said, referring to the separation barrier Israel is building in and around the West Bank.
Israel radio reported yesterday that after being disarmed all wanted militants from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade in Tulkarm will be absorbed into the Palestinian security apparatus and offices.
Ten out of 50 wanted militants from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade in Tulkarm have already handed over their weapons to Palestinian security officials. Tulkarm Governor Izzadin Sharif confirmed yesterday that the PA had begun collecting the unlicensed weapons of dozens of militants in the northern West Bank town.
