PA To Decide On Resumption Of Direct Talks In The Coming Two Days

Saturday August 14, 2010 21:26 by George Rishmawi - IMEMC & Agencies

The decision on whether to start direct talks with Israel will come out in two days, said Azzam Al-Ahmad, member of Fatah central committee on Saturday.

“Our decision will be determined by what we will hear from the US administration after we demanded more clarity about its activities and the way they deal with the international Quartet’s statement," Al-Ahmad, who is in Qatar with a Palestinian delegation headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, said.

He added that results of the consultation between the U.S. And the Quartet will determine the final stance regarding the direct talks.

"The US is consulting with the Quartet and we want to know their final response to our demand. In light of that response, we will determine our final stance. We will give a yes or a no depending on what we will hear from the US envoy David Hale on Sunday or Monday," Al-Ahmad told the French news agency.

However, Fatah's senior official said also that consultations with the Arab countries will have its effect on the PA decision, adding that the Palestinian demands to return to direct talks are not preconditions.

"What we demanded are not preconditions as Israel tries to show. What we demand are basic requirements to the peace process, previously agreed on by interested parties," Al-Ahmad said.

The PA has demanded that Israel freezes all settlement activities in the West Bank and to stop the demolition of Palestinian houses in East Jerusalem in order to reenter direct talks with Israel, however, the latter has rejected the PA's basis for resuming talks.

Direct talks have stopped in December 2008 when Israel launched the war on Gaza, which claimed the lives of more than 1400 Palestinians and left a devastating destruction to the coastal region.

palestine | peace process | news report george at imemc dot org