Obama to visit West Bank, Palestinian official says

Obama to visit West Bank, Palestinian official says

July 14, 2008: JERUSALEM -- Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama will be visiting the Palestinian Authority president in the West Bank next week, a Palestinian government official said Monday. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama talks to a Latino group Sunday in San Diego, California. Obama will be meeting with President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on July 23, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said. Obama is expected to visit Israel, but officials could not yet confirm what his plans are there. Erakat was in Paris, France, where Abbas had been attending a summit. The Obama campaign had no comment on the report. Abbas held talks Sunday with French President Nicolas Sarkozy ahead of a sweeping summit launching the Union for the Mediterranean, bringing together leaders of more than 40 nations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Erakat said Israeli and Palestinian officials would review the status of negotiations on the sidelines of the Paris summit, discussing Israeli settlement activity, the Gaza border and Palestinian prisoner releases.