CRI听力：Israeli PM Pledged to Release Palestinian Prisoners

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has pledged to free more than 150 Palestinian prisoners by the end of August as a "goodwill gesture" to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev announced the pledge on Wednesday after a a summit meeting between the two leaders in Jerusalem. (www.hXen.com)

"We also agreed today to a Palestinian proposal by the Palestinian President that there will be a prisoner release by Israel of Palestinian prisoners as a confidence-building measure, as a gesture of goodwill to the Palestinians."

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, who also took part in the meeting, said it was agreed that over 150 prisoners would be freed.

"The issue of prisoners was a main item agenda today, we agreed with the Israelis that there will be a new patch of prisoners released on the 25th of August, this August. We urged the Israelis that they include prisoners who were jailed before 1993."

Meanwhile, Mark Regev said that the two sides were still striving to meet the target they set at last November's US-sponsored peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland.

Wednesday's meeting between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders was the first since Olmert announced he would step down after his party selects a new leader in September.