PARIS – Israel and the Palestinians have never been as close to peace as they are now, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday during a French-hosted regional conference.

"It seems to me that we have never been as close to the possibility of reaching an accord as we are today," Olmert told reporters standing alongside Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

During a one-on-one meeting at the Elysee Palace, Olmert promised Abbas that Israel would release additional Palestinian prisoners as a gesture to the Palestinian Authority.

An Israeli state official said however that Olmert did not commit himself to releasing a specific number of prisoners.





Sarkozy (M) with Abbas (L) and Olmert (Photo: AFP)

Referring to the peace talks with Syria, Olmert said that "while the talks are indirect at this time, we hope to make the negotiations direct in the near future. This avenue will not be pursued at the expense of the Palestinian one."

Abbas reiterated the sentiment, saying the Palestinian Authority is serious in its efforts to achieved peace.

"We respect the Road Map and all other international treaties. We know that peace in the Middle East is the basis for world peace and unless achieved, world peace is at risk," he said.

'We have more common challenges than conflicts'

Sarkozy said, "During this conference (representatives) of Israel and all the Arab nations are sitting at the same table in the same hall; this does not mean that all of the problems have been solved, but it does mean that the Middle East belongs to everyone.

"We must learn to love each other again instead of hating and fighting each other over and over," the French leader said.

Later on Sunday Olmert met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a Paris hotel to discuss the possibility of direct talks between Israel and Syria.

Earlier Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told the 43-nation Union for the Mediterranean conference that "when I look at my neighbors I first of all see human beings facing similar challenges.

"The only way to deal with these challenges is through cooperation. Don't let the region's nations' ability to cooperate be held hostage by political considerations," she said.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem left the conference hall in protest before Livni spoke, but several other representatives of Arab countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel remained seated.

Livni continued to say that "I know that part of the conference participants view the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as an obstacle on the way to promoting joint projects, but I do not accept this. Cooperation and joint ventures contribute to the leaders' ability to make decisions. We have more common challenges in the region than conflicts."