Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet this month, their first summit since Jewish settlers were evacuated from occupied Gaza, an Israeli newspaper said on Saturday.Haaretz said in its online edition that the leaders would meet at the end of the month after attending a September 14 to 16 summit at the United Nations. Israeli political sources confirmed talks were expected this month, but had no details on the date or venue.The Palestinians denied that a summit had been set. But Abbas said in an interview to Palestinian daily al-Quds that he would welcome new talks with Sharon.‘‘We are ready for any meeting,’’ Abbas said. But, signalling a possible future spat, he disputed Israel’s argument that the Gaza Strip pullout ended its occupation of the territory, saying, ‘‘There are still differences on the final borders.’’Israel’s chief of military logistics, Brigadier Eran Ofir, told Israel Radio that all ground forces would be out of Gaza ‘‘by September 15’’.Last month, a statement from Sharon’s office last month said Abbas called the pullout a ‘‘brave and historic decision’’, and voiced hope that it would ‘‘open a new page . for the sake of peace and the future of both peoples and the region’. —Reuters Musharraf defends talks with IsraelISLAMABAD: Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has said that talks with Israel were in accordance with the tenets of Islam, which allowed its followers to engage with people of other faiths. The Foreign Ministry said the General had no plans to meet the Israeli Prime Minister during the UN General Assembly next month, but would address the American Jewish Congress in New York. REUTERS
