Special report: Israel launches Gaza assault

   GAZA, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Aides to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert are to meet in Washington to pave the way for a summit meeting between the two leaders, Palestinian media reported Saturday.

   Sama news agency quoted Palestinian officials as saying that the U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has asked both Abbas and Olmert to send their aides in order to "discuss ways of removing obstacles that prevented the pair from meeting."

   The sources, whose identities were not disclosed, expected that the meeting between Abbas and Olmert may take place "very soon" but they expected no breakthrough will be achieved, the report said.

   "After the recent elections in the U.S., the administration was interested in cooling down the situation rather than making solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," said the sources.

   Abbas and Olmert last met in June. A few days later, Palestinian militants have seized an Israeli soldier in Gaza Strip and the consequent Israeli large-scale offensive blocked the way for any meeting between the leaders.

   Olmert expressed his willing to meet Abbas unconditionally earlier this month, but the Palestinian president wants Israel to release a number of prisoners and stop its military operations before the meeting takes place.