Abbas breaks off all contacts with radical groups

Abbas condemned the bloody attack whose resposibility was claimed by two radical militant groups. "I strongly condemn this act in Jerusalem. It is a terrible act against the Israeli civilians and this is not helping the interests of the Palestinian people. I ordered the security minister Mohammed Dahlan to open an inquiry into the incident.
Abbas spoke to reporters in Gaza where he was expected to have sought to shore up a three-month truce called by militant groups, but he had where had called off the talks.
Meanwhile, a senior Israeli government official later stated that Sharon had decided to freeze all contacts with the Palestinians after the suicide bomb attack.