Prisoner release key to summit success - Palestinians

Palestinian officials said yesterday it was imperative to resolve a dispute with Israel over the release of Palestinian prisoners to avoid failure at a summit seen as crucial to ending over four years of violence.

Nabil Abu Rdainah, an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, urged Israel to be flexible on the issue of prisoners slated for release to avoid a crisis at Tuesday's summit at the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Israel disappointed the Palestinian leadership by refusing to include those jailed for deadly attacks among the 900 prisoners whom Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and top cabinet ministers agreed on Thursday to release in a goodwill gesture.

Abbas is under enormous domestic pressure to secure freedom for 8,000 prisoners, among the most emotive issues for ordinary Palestinians, many of whom have relatives in Israeli jails and see their release as a sign of peace and goodwill.

The issue is also key to Abbas's aim of consolidating power, ending bloodshed and reviving the "road map" charting mutual steps to Palestinian statehood.

The dispute over prisoners overshadowed fresh optimism in the region that Israel and the Palestinians would declare a formal halt to more than four years of violence at the summit.

Sharon will meet Abbas for the first time since the moderate Palestinian leader was elected on January 9 to replace Yasser Arafat, seen by Israel and the United States as an obstacle to peace.

The talks, to be joined by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah, would aim to solidify a shaky new de facto ceasefire by setting in motion a peace process based on the US-backed road map.

"The issue of the prisoners is of extreme importance for the Palestinians. It could either lead to a breakthrough or to negative results," Mohammed Dahlan, another Abbas adviser said.

The road map calls on the Palestinian Authority to disarm militants and dismantle "terrorist infrastructure". Abbas has said he wants to co-opt rather than confront the gunmen, hoping to avoid civil strife.

Violence has dropped sharply amid Abbas's efforts to coax militants into a truce they say must be reciprocated by the Israeli army. He has also deployed Palestinian security forces in Gaza to combat militants.

The prisoner issue could loom large in meetings new US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is scheduled to hold with Sharon and Abbas during a visit to the region this week.

Israeli officials said a first batch of 500 prisoners would be freed this week, after the summit, with 400 to follow over a period of three months.

Israel's plan also calls for a troop pullback from five West Bank cities, starting in Jericho this week, after the talks.