JERUSALEM, Aug 28: The Israeli and Palestinian leaders met on Tuesday to discuss the thorniest issues of the Middle East conflict with a view to finding common ground before a major peace conference later this year.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hosted Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas at his official Jerusalem residence for talks with aides and a 90-minute one-on-one encounter that was their second meeting this month.

Neither leader spoke to the press after the meeting which Israeli officials described as positive, while the Palestinians remained cautious.

A senior Israeli government official said Abbas and Olmert discussed some of the most contested issues behind the decades-old conflict in order to prepare for the international conference called by US President George W. Bush.

“Olmert and Abbas discussed the framework agreement, which included core issues such as refugees and Jerusalem, with the aim of drawing up a memorandum which will be presented at the Washington summit in November,” he said.

“Olmert told Abu Mazen he wanted two or three meetings in the next few weeks to discuss the ideas before creating work teams that will formulate this memorandum, which will be submitted for approval by both sides,” he added.

“They spoke extensively about the fundamental issues which would have to be dealt with to reach the two states for two peoples’ solution. The meeting was very open, positive and constructive,” said a second Israeli official.

Abbas and Olmert have been at odds over what exactly they want to achieve before the conference, which local officials expect to take place in November after the Jewish and Muslim high holidays although no date has been announced.

“The president’s position is clear: the aim is to end the 1967 occupation, to establish an independent state on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital,” Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told a news conference.

“All the outstanding issues concerning final status negotiations need discussion. We have not reached the stage of details. We have not reached the stage of drafts,” he said.

“We have not presented the Israeli side with any document and we have not received any such document from the Israelis. We are at the stage of proposals and not negotiations... We don’t want to raise expectations too much.” The Palestinians have long said they want a detailed framework agreement on core issues – the thorniest problems such as Jerusalem, borders and refugees – while Israel has talked about a more vague declaration of principles.—AFP