Negotiations on concrete issues between Israel and the Palestinian Authority

         First meeting between Israel, Palestinian negotiators scheduled for next week, but senior officials in Jerusalem doubt hot-button topics will be discussed before US President Bush visits region. Meanwhile Abbas openly rejects concept of state with provisional borders.Olmert met in private on Thursday afternoon with Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Affairs Minister Tzipi Livni for a preliminary talk prior to the first meeting with the Palestinian negotiators on December 12th. Jerusalem officials said the current estimate sees Olmert meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas only after the lower-ranking negotiation teams meet next week. But prior to Bush's visit, they said, all talks will likely revolve around logistical issued pertaining to future negotiations. "At this point, the sides will deal with laying down the ground-rules for the negotiations, the frequency of the talks and their location and so on. The actual negotiations over the core issues will only place in early January," media reported.(10,22)