Home / International / News Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read | Comment
Rice: Settlement expansions weaken Israeli-Palestinian confidence
Adjust font size:

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday admitted that expanding Israeli settlements in West Bank affect on confidence atmosphere between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

Rice was speaking in a joint news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah following a meeting.

Rice told the reporters that they discussed the issue of the settlements, she added that the construction of the settlements weaken the confidence in the negotiations between the two sides.

For his part, Abbas urged Israel to carry out the first phase of the Road Map plan since it was the reference of the Israeli- Palestinian peace talks which resumed following a U.S. initiative in November.

The first phase, according to Abbas, is stopping the constructions of the Israeli settlements in West Bank, reopening the PNA institutions in Jerusalem and ending all the measures that Israel took after the eruption of the second Palestinian Intifada (Uprising) in 2000.

Earlier last month, Israel revealed plans to build and expand 100 homes in two West Bank settlements, violating the U.S.-backed Road Map peace plan which is considered reference of the Israeli- Palestinian peace talks.

Meanwhile, the two top officials also talked about easing the life of the Palestinians in the Abbas' Fatah-dominated West Bank by lifting the Israeli checkpoints and restoring order by allowing the deployment of pro-Abbas forces in the West Bank towns.

Asked if she received Israeli promise to remove some of the roadblocks, Rice said she spent so much time in this issue, calling to consider Israel's security. She also linked between lifting the roadblocks and the improvement of the Palestinian security forces' performance.

1   2   3    


Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read
Comment
Pet Name
Anonymous
China Archives
Related >>
- Rice arrives to promote Israeli-PNA peace talks
- Bush prods Israel, PNA for peace
- Israel dismisses Hamas truce offer
- Solana: Israel-Palestinian agreement likely this year
Most Viewed >>
- President Hu hopes to 'make new friends' in Japan
- Iran warns Europe not to cross 'red lines'
- Hu's visit to futher promote China-Japan ties
- German foundation behind anti-China protests
- Thousands evacuated as earthquakes rock Chile
> Korean Nuclear Talks
> Reconstruction of Iraq
> Middle East Peace Process
> Iran Nuclear Issue
> 6th SCO Summit Meeting
Links
- China Development Gateway
- Foreign Ministry
- Network of East Asian Think-Tanks
- China-EU Association
- China-Africa Business Council
- China Foreign Affairs University
- University of International Relations
- Institute of World Economics & Politics
- Institute of Russian, East European & Central Asian Studies
- Institute of West Asian & African Studies
- Institute of Latin American Studies
- Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies
- Institute of Japanese Studies