Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday said Mideast peace talks should resume immediately after Israel completes its Gaza withdrawal and expressed hope that a Palestinian state will be established by next year. "We live off hope," Abbas told The Associated Press. "And we hope that a Palestinian state can be achieved next year, God willing. What is important is to have the state."In a wide-ranging interview, Abbas also pledged to bring diverse militias from the ruling Fatah movement under central control within three weeks. He said the U.S. has assured him that peace negotiations with Israel can resume as soon as Israel completes its withdrawal from Gaza, expected by Sept. 15. Israel has already evacuated some 9,000 Jewish settlers from Gaza and four isolated West Bank enclaves. U.S. Embassy spokesman Stewart Tuttle said Washington sees the Israeli withdrawal "as an opportunity to re-energize the road map," referring to an internationally-backed peace plan that calls for the creation of a Palestinian state. He said he had no information about a specific timetable.
Abbas said he has high hopes for the Palestinian economy after the Israeli pullout, which will be finished as soon as Israel completes the withdrawal of troops. "Palestinian investors are coming here to build projects," he said. "If we are successful in this endeavor then we will have accomplished something incredible, which is to pull the Palestinian people out of poverty and into prosperity."
Abbas praised Ariel Sharon's decision to leave Gaza but criticized the Israeli leader for following up the Gaza evacuation with announcements of more building in the West Bank's largest Jewish settlement. "If Mr. Sharon is facing internal problems, then I say he cannot solve one problem by creating another," Abbas said. "It was the correct decision to withdraw from Gaza, and this is a good thing, and he now must continue with the peace process." Israel has conditioned a return to negotiations on Palestinian willingness to rein in militants, especially the Islamic Hamas group.