Israel Delayed a Summit of Regional Leaders in Paris

Monday October 18, 2010 18:04 by Ane Irazabal - International Middle East Media Center

Palestinian Authority Spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudaineh, said that the decision to delay a regional summit in Paris was made by Israel to avoid revealing its rejection of peace negotiations.

On Saturday, a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed that the premier's meeting with President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, that was supposed to happen next Thursday in Paris, would be postponed.

In an interview on Ma'an Radio, Nabil Abu Rudaineh said Israel would reject any summit in which its violations of agreements and international law would be exposed, adding that Israel was isolating itself from the international community.

Abbas' spokesman said the PA welcomed any international effort to support the peace process, adding that the French summit had received no opposition from the Palestinian side. “The meeting in Paris was intended as an opportunity for leaders to prepare for a summit in Barcelona in November”, he claimed.

On Friday, the French presidency had raised the possibility that the meeting previously announced by President Nicolas Sarkozy would not go ahead as planned, following the suspension of direct peace talks between Israel and the PLO, Agence France-Presse said.

According to AFP, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said Saturday that France was "deeply disappointed" over Israel's decision to expand two illegal settlements in occupied East Jerusalem.

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