Erekat: Abbas to receive White House invitation
Chief Palestinian negotiator indicates that PA president and Obama are planning to meet, but says final date not set

Chief Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat said Monday that PA President Mahmoud Abbas could soon be invited to the White House, adding that a date has not yet been set for the visit.
In an interview with Voice of Palestine radio quoted by Israel Radio, Erekat noted that American negotiators were still passing along ideas between the the two sides, but nothing was official. He stressed that there was little point of assessing the success or failure of talks at this juncture.
Erekat was in Moscow Monday in order to update Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the details of negotiations between Israel and the PA.
President Barack Obama has recommitted to Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, sending US Secretary of State John Kerry on multiple visits to the region in attempt to gain support for a framework agreement between the sides.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also been invited by Obama, and will be at the White House next week.
White House officials wrote in a statement that Obama “looks forward to discussing with the Prime Minister progress in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, developments in Iran, and other regional priorities.” The statement confirmed earlier reports that the two will meet in Washington DC on March 3.
Netanyahu’s visit to Washington DC will coincide with AIPAC’s annual policy conference, and the prime minister is expected to address the over 10,000 participants on the day after his White House meeting.