PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) announced over the weekend that he is working towards achieving an agreement before the end of US President George W. Bush�s term in office. The announcement comes ahead of Abu Mazen�s scheduled visit to Washington later this week.

Both Abu Mazen and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have stated that hope to reach an agreement before year�s end, as talks between Israeli and PA officials continue towards an interim agreement which would serve as a platform for a permanent accord.

(Yechiel Spira � YWN Israel)