'Abbas to meet with Bush in May'

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Friday that he will have a bilateral meeting with President Bush in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in May.

Abbas said he was not able to provide information on who else might participate in the meeting, which he said will take place around May 17.

The White House said it had "no public comment" on the report.

While on his trip to the Mideast in January, Bush accepted an invitation from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to return to Israel.

The return visit would be to check on peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians and to celebrate Israel's 60th anniversary, White House officials said at that time. The anniversary is May 8.

Abbas said he's hopeful for a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

"All I say is that this is a very precious opportunity, an opportunity we want to seize," he said. "The Palestinian people of course want it. They've been wanting it for 60 years.

"They want the state of siege and occupation to end," he added. "They want a deal, but they want an agreement and a deal that is reasonable, that is compatible with their aspirations." Watch exclusive interview with President Abbas »

Abbas met with Olmert this month to discuss the situation in Gaza and recommit to a United States-backed effort to achieve a peace deal by the end of the year.

Hamas, an Islamic party considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and Israeli governments, wrested political control of Gaza from Abbas' Fatah party last year. Since then, Islamic militants have launched rocket strikes into Israel from there. Israel has responded with airstrikes and a blockade on food, fuel and medicine going into the territory.

Abbas said he hopes to expand upon an offer of a six-month cease-fire by Hamas in Gaza. Israel has rejected the offer, saying fighters just want a chance to rearm themselves.

"We have sought to achieve calm -- total calm," Abbas said. "We would like to see that and asked the Egyptians to intervene in order to reach that total calm in the region." E-mail to a friend

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