RAMALLAH, 18 June, (JMCC) - President
Mahmoud Abbas and US Special envoy George Mitchell met on Friday to discuss the
peace process between
Israel and the
Palestinian Authority. The talks centred on the progress of the proximity negotiations.
Top PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said that Abbas requested that Mitchell provide clarifications on reports that Israel plans to build 1,600 housing units in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo.
Erekat added that Abbas demanded that the US Administration work to lift the siege on the Gaza Strip and ensure that all the basic needs of the Strip's population are met. The negotiator said Abbas demanded that the movement of goods between the Strip and the West Bank be permitted, and said the blockade is a form of collective punishment that cannot continue.
We hope that in the next four months we can achieve the two-state solution on the 1967 borders, said Erekat, reiterating a Palestinian demand that Israel withdraws from Palestinian territory it captured in the 1967 Middle East war.
Egyptian President Mubarak sought to place further urgency on Israel, warning of potential future dangers should a resolution not be found soon.
Terrorism will spread if Israel fails to address fundamental issues with the Palestinians, Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak warned on Wednesday during talks with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
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