WHITFIELD: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas met in Jerusalem for the fourth time. It was a heated two hour meeting with no major breakthroughs on the issue of thousands of Palestinian prisoners. CNN's Matthew Chance has more.</s>MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the issue of Palestinian prisoners that's emerged as a major obstacle to progress on the U.S.-backed roadmap. Israel holds more than seven and a half thousand in its jails, many with no charges against them. It isn't the roadmap obligation but a large scale release demanded by Palestinian protesters could boost the credibility of Mahmoud Abbas. The Palestinian prime minister has little support of his own among ordinary Palestinians. Securing releases could help.</s>DIANA BUTTU, PLO LEGAL ADVISOR: They're simply being detained because they're Palestinian and, sadly Israel is attempting to use these people as bargaining chips in order to extract further political gain.</s>CHANCE: But prisoner releases are a sensitive issue for Israel's well. Militants linked with attacks against Israelis are among those in custody. Officials have made clear none with blood on their hands will be set free that a few hundred others will be considered. Not until Palestinian officials crack down on militant groups albeit ones engaged in a ceasefire will Israel release more.</s>RA'ANAN GISSIN, SHARON SENIOR ADVISER: It will be much easier for Israel to move forward, to make those gestures, to release more prisoners if the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian government takes decisive action to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure. That's the key word. That's the key issue.</s>CHANCE: All this takes on new momentum as both prime ministers prepare to visit Washington later this month separately for talks with the main sponsor of the roadmap President Bush. Another three-way summit like that in Aqaba, Jordan last month has not yet been ruled out but much may depend on what progress, if any, can be made in the days ahead. Matthew Chance, CNN, Jerusalem.
Ariel Sharon, Mahmoud Abbas Meet Without Successs