No meeting between Abbas, Netanyahu in Jerusalem in mid September: Palestinian official

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat denied on Monday that there will be a meeting between President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem in mid September.

"What has been agreed upon is a meeting between President Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in Sharm el-Sheikh on Sept. 14 only," Erekat told Xinhua.

He added "No other meeting has been agreed upon, except the one in Sharm el-Sheikh."

The Israeli Maariv daily reported earlier on Monday that Abbas and Netanyahu will hold a meeting in Jerusalem on Sept. 15, which will be attended by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. peace envoy George Mitchell.

Last week, the U.S. administration sponsored the launch of direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians which had been stalled since December 2008.

U.S. State Department announced earlier that Abbas and Netanyahu will hold a meeting in Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Sept. 14 to start the second round of direct peace talks.

Source: Xinhua