PMO denies date set for Olmert-Abbas meeting

The Prime Minister's Office denied on Friday morning that a date had been fixed for a meeting between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, Army Radio reported on Friday. The statement followed a report by the Palestinian news agency Ma'an, that Olmert and Abbas were set to meet on Monday. Ma'an reported that the meeting was arranged after it was agreed that the Palestinians would determine the identities of the prisoners released in an exchange deal with Israel. Officials in Jerusalem confirmed that there had been discussions over the establishment of a committee that would determine which prisoners would be released, but they emphasized that no prisoner would be freed before Shalit's safe return.