Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is conducting secret talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Ha'aretz daily reported in its edition published on Tuesday.But don't tell nobody, okay? 'Cuz they're secret.
Olmert and Abbas have been negotiating through secret channels in addition to recent publicly known meetings, the newspaper pointed.
Have they, by Gad?
The newspaper said both leaders held informal talks, noting that Olmert discussed the issue with other Israelis officials.
Why, if that got out, who knows what'd happen?
The discussions apparently dealt with prospects of reaching consensus on diverse issues of dissension between the two sides.
"Diverse issues of dissension" is it? That explains so much!
The Haaretz daily quoted unidentified Israeli cabinet ministers and other politicians as saying Olmert had given them the impression he expected "significant political progress", apparently through the secret talks, in the coming months.
Reeeeeeally? What kind of political progress?
"Significant political progress, my boy! Significant!"
Miri Eisin, a spokeswoman for Olmert, said: "I don't know anything about back channel talks."
The spokeman is always the last to know, isn't he?
Hassan Asfour, a Palestinian negotiator close to Abbas, said: "I confirm there are no secret talks and no back channel talks."
I'll bet Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat's completely in the dark, too.
Haaretz said the participants in the secret talks and the content were not known but that the discussions had apparently gone beyond confidence-building measures and had covered some core political issues.
Wow. Beyond confidence-building measures! Betcha this is really gonna be something big!
Olmert and Abbas have held several public meetings at the urging of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. According to statements, the talks have focused on confidence-building measures.
And now they're beyond that...
But U.S. officials said last month there were expectations the two sides may begin to discuss final status or core issues soon.