Abbas envoys to head to US for talks on ME summit

Envoys of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington this week to prepare the agenda of a Mideast summit, an Abbas aide said Monday. The Israeli-Palestinian-US summit is meant as a step toward resuming talks on a final peace deal. The envoys will tell Rice that the Palestinians oppose further interim arrangements, said Abbas aide Yasser Abed Rabbo, who is heading to Washington with chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.