Sharon, Abbas ready to get talking

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said in an interview published on Sunday that he was ready to meet Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and ...

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said in an interview published on Sunday that he was ready to meet Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and try to coordinate a Gaza pullout with a new Palestinian government.

In a separate interview also with Newsweek magazine, the Palestinian leader said he too was ready for a summit with Sharon, but after the January 9 elections in the Palestinian territories, in which he is a leading candidate to replace Yasser Arafat as President.

8216;8216;When they would like to meet, we will meet,8217;8217; Sharon said, when asked whether he was ready to meet with Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen.

Abbas, responding to a similar question, said that 8216;8216;after the elections, I8217;m ready to meet at any time with Sharon8217;8217;.

Sharon also suggested he would seek to discuss with the Palestinians his plan to withdraw Israeli soldiers and Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip next year, which has been billed as a unilateral move.

In separate interviews with Newsweek, Israeli PM Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said they would try to coordinate a Gaza pullout:
8226; Sharon: When they would like to meet, we will meet8230;I am going to make every effort to coordinate our disengagement plan with the new Palestinian government
8226; Abbas: After the elections, I8217;m ready to meet anytime with Sharon

8216;8216;I am going to make every effort to coordinate our disengagement plan with the new Palestinian government 8212; one that can assume control over areas we evacuate,8217;8217; the Israeli prime minister said.

Abbas said the Palestinians were not yet ready to handle security in Gaza but hoped it would be possible. 8216;8216;Now we have some sort of chaos, especially in Gaza,8217;8217; Abbas said.

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8216;8216;We are ready to take Gaza when we rebuild our security apparatus. If you tell me do it now, I8217;ll say I cannot, but I8217;m working very hard to rebuild the security apparatus.8217;8217;

Sharon said Israel would keep its troops away from Palestinian towns during the January elections.

Israel 8216;8216;will take all the necessary steps to enable them to conduct their elections with as little interference as possible 8212; by opening the roads and taking our forces out of their towns8217;8217;, Sharon said.