Abbas - Kouchner

      During a press conference in Ramallah with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, Abbas said Israeli-Palestinian peace talks would continue despite upcoming leadership changes in Israel and the US. He urged the next US administration not to waste time and become involved immediately in Middle East peacemaking. "We talked ... about the peace process," Abbas said in a joint news conference with Kouchner. "We emphasized that we are continuing this process, whether it is with the outgoing Prime Minister [Ehud] Olmert, or with [Kadima Chairman Tzipi] Livni, if she forms her government, and also with the new [US] administration, which we hope will handle [the negotiations] immediately and directly, and that time won't be wasted, as it was wasted before." Abbas described Livni as a "peace partner," noting that as Israel's lead negotiator for the past 11 months, she's aware of all the details of the talks. Meanwhile, Egypt's presidential spokesman said Saturday his country endorses a US proposal to host key international players to follow up on Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Spokesman Suleiman Awwad said that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has asked Egypt to invite Israeli and Palestinian leaders and members of the Quartet of Mideast mediators to meet before US President George W. Bush's term ends in January. Bush has expressed hope for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal before the end of the year, but Egypt and many other countries have voiced skepticism at the possibility. (23,07)