JAPAN: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says his government open to U.S. proposal to mediate indirect peace talks with Israel

Record ID: 463715

  • Title: JAPAN: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says his government open to U.S. proposal to mediate indirect peace talks with Israel
  • Date: 10th February 2010
  • Summary: SLATE INFORMATION
  • Embargoed: 25th February 2010 12:00
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  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Reuters ID: LVASE0UCCZ92EJS9Z0VFEVDL71K
  • Story Text: Palestinian government is open to a U.S. proposal to mediate indirect peace talks with Israel and awaits Washington's clarification on such talks, says President Mahmoud Abbas.
    Palestinian leaders have not set specific terms on which they would accept a U.S. offer to mediate indirect peace talks with Israel and expect clarification on such talks in a week, President Mahmoud Abbas said on Tuesday (February 9).
    The United States has proposed circumventing a dispute preventing the resumption of talks, stalled for more than a year since a war in Gaza, by reconvening in the form of "proximity talks" on an indirect basis, under closer U.S. mediation.
    Israel has agreed to the formula but Abbas has said he will announce a decision after hearing answers to some questions he has put to Washington.
    Speaking at a seminar in Tokyo, Abbas added that his government was keeping the door open to the U.S. proposal, but stressed that he was still waiting to hear from U.S. Middle East special envoy George Mitchell.
    "We have no conditions on the proximity talks but we have put forward questions and explanations that we need from Mr. Mitchell and he will get back to us within a week with the answers and when he gives us his answers we will put them forward to our brothers in Arab League and we will ask for their opinion regarding movement in theses types of negotiations -- the proximity talks," said Abbas, speaking to reporters through an interpreter.
    His comments came a day after Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki, visiting Tokyo with Abbas, said the proximity talks should focus on border issues and their timeframe should be limited to a maximum of three to four months.
    Peace talks were halted more than a year ago over the war in the Gaza Strip and have not resumed, due largely to a Palestinian demand that Israel first impose a complete freeze on building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and Israel's refusal to do so.
    Abbas has rejected a limited, 10-month construction freeze ordered by Israel in November as insufficient, particularly for excluding Jerusalem.
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