Abbas sends ultimatum to Obama

Ramallah: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told US President Barack Obama he would not run for re-election unless Israel dropped its refusal to freeze colonies, Palestinian officials said on Tuesday.

"Abu Mazen [Abbas] told him that he would not be a candidate in the presidential election [in January] unless Israel abided by the peace requirement," said one of the officials, who are briefed regularly by Abbas and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The officials said Abbas made the comments to Obama to vent his anger at what Palestinians see as an easing of US pressure on Israel.

However, Tayyeb Abdul Rahim, a senior aide to the leader, issued a denial and described the telephone conversation between Abbas and Obama as "warm and candid".

Abbas, who has made a return to peace talks conditional on Israel ceasing colony activity in line with a 2003 "road map", has threatened to step down in the past.