Palestinian Authority prime minister Mahmud Abbas arrived in Washington for a meeting Friday with George W. Bush at the White House. This is Abbas' first official visit to the United States since he was appointed prime minister in April, a move that opened the door to closer relations with the United States after its refusal to meet with Palestine Authority president Yasser Arafat. Accompanying Abbas on his historic visit were his minister of foreign affairs Nabil Shaath, minister of state for security affairs Mohammad Dahlan, and Palestinian parliament speaker Ahmad Qorei. Palestinian minister of finance Salam Fayad will join the Abbas delegation on Friday. The political stakes for Abbas were raised Wednesday when Palestinian information minister Nabil Amr said Abbas' future as prime minister would be threatened if he failed to convince Washington to put pressure on Israel and boost the implementation of the roadmap for peace, a three-stage plan approved by all the parties. "If there is no progress in this important visit to Washington we can be sure that Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas will face a tough situation among the Palestinian people and the Legislative Council," Amr told reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. The Abbas visit is in sharp contrast to the Bush administration's virtual boycott of Arafat, viewed by Washington as sidelined and discredited. Coming less than two months after Bush met both Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharonon his Middle East tour in early June, this new round of meetings aims to drive home US resolve to a high-level commitment in implementing the roadmap. **Palestinians Warn of Crisis as Hamas, Islamic Jihad Members Stay in Jail*** The Palestinians warned the peace process could come to a dead end after an Israeli ministerial commission ruled out the immediate release of any members of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements. The commission formally approved the release of 350 Palestinians who had been on a list drawn up by the Israeli domestic intelligence service Shin Beth. But a government statement said Wednesday that "the committee also decided that the cases of prisoners about whom doubts have arisen regarding their release would be re-evaluated in the government." **PHOTO CAPTION*** A masked Hamas member holds up a gun during a rally in Gaza City. (AFP/File/Fayez Nureldine)