[31/October/2009]

By Mahmoud Sulaiman

ABU DHABI, Oct 31 (Saba)- Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on Saturday said the resumption of peace talks with Israel is not possible before a complete freeze on Israeli settlement construction is put in place, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Saturday.

In statements following his meeting with US secretary of state Hillary Clinton in Abu Dhabi, Abbas said the Israeli government should honour its obligations, in particular those related to a total halt on the settlements, an issue he said is blocking all prospects for re-launching the peace process that has been stalled for almost a year.

"The problem is that the Israeli government refuses to stop building settlements" in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

"The question Jerusalem was at the center of talks during our meeting today", Abbas said adding that "peace starts in Jerusalem".

Abbas said Arabs, Muslims and the whole world is responsible for the issue of Jerusalem "which is in real danger." "Without Jerusalem, there will be no point in peace," Abbas warned.

"We came up with nothing new", Abbas stressed adding that no breakthrough was made at the meeting with Mrs. Clinton.

US Middle East envoy George Mitchell was also present at the meeting.

For his part, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said without a complete freeze of settlement activities means no talks could be relaunched.

Israel, Erakat said, refuses to halt the ongoing construction of some 3,000 houses in the West Bank and in annexed east Jerusalem.

Admitting that the meeting was "difficult", Erakat noted that "the Americans conveyed to us the Israeli position ... and the gap between us was very deep and is widening even more." Erakat said "it is not about pressures (on the Palestinian delegation today), rather it is the system of interests... We honored our obligations )towards the peace process)and the Israelis has to do theirs." "The U.S administration which has 230000 troops in the region has to put and end to the quagmire of the Israeli occupation and would be completely wrong if it thinks it could solve problems through wars," Erakat added.
Saba