Obama to discuss Gaza's plight with Abbas

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President Barack Obama will discuss specific projects to improve the plight of the people of Gaza Wednesday as he welcomes Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to the White House, officials said.

Abbas will meet Obama at the Oval Office with already volatile Middle East politics roiled by the aftermath of the deadly May 31 Israeli commando raid on a flotilla of boats seeking to beat the Gaza blockade.

The Palestinian leader arrived in Washington on Tuesday, directly from Turkey, which fiercely condemned the raid that killed nine Turkish activists. He has called on Obama to make "bold" decisions to jump-start peace moves in the Middle East.

The United States has joined other foreign governments and the United Nations in calling for an inquiry into the raid with an international component, saying it was key to any investigation's credibility.

But Israel has rejected any international probe into the affair, a topic likely to feature in Obama's talks with Abbas.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said his country would raise the controversial issue of who should investigate the incident at the UN and called for an end to the Jewish state's blockade of the tiny Gaza Strip.

He called Israel's boarding of an aid ship in international waters a "crude violation" of international law.

At the White House, Obama and Abbas will "discuss steps to improve life for the people of Gaza, including US support for specific projects to promote economic development and greater quality of life," a US official said.

Obama also wants to discuss a "long-term strategy for progress that we will advance through consultations" with the Palestinians, Israelis, Egyptians and other partners, the official added on condition of anonymity.

Despite the fallout from the Gaza raid, the pair will consider how to forge progress in proximity talks between Israel and the Palestinians mediated by US envoy George Mitchell.

"We look forward to engaging with President Abbas to move the process forward so that we can get to direct talks to address all the final status issues," the official said.

Obama will also renew his call on Israelis and Palestinians to "ensure that neither side take provocative steps that could stand in the way of progress," according to the official.

Abbas will meet with Obama a week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled his own White House trip to deal with the fallout from the Gaza crisis.

The Palestinian leader set a clear rhetorical framework last week for his long-awaited summit with the US president.

"My message to Obama during our meeting in Washington next week will be that we need bold decisions to change the face of the region," he said at an investment conference in the West Bank.

Abbas is also scheduled to meet with US lawmakers and National Security Adviser James Jones.