French President Francois Hollande said here today that only "bilateral negotiations" between Palestine and Israel can lead to peace, days ahead of an international peace conference on the Middle East, to take place, in Paris, a forum that strongly criticized by the Jewish state. In a speech marking the new year, in front of members of the diplomatic corps, in Paris, the French president added that the goal of the conference scheduled on Sunday is "reaffirmation of the international community support of the two-state solution (Israel and Palestine), and keep this solution as a reference to resolve this ongoing conflict since seventy years. He acknowledged that, at the same time, France is "aware of what can be carried by the conference, as peace can only be made by the Israelis and Palestinians alone, through bilateral negotiations, in order yield fruitful results. Hollande stressed that the meeting of Sunday should resolutely mention supporting of the two-state solution formula and to push practical solutions for the development of infrastructure for the benefit of the Palestinians and the Israelis, alike, and to encourage exchanges between civil societies." France plans to hold a conference on 15 January, with the participation of 70 countries, in a bid to revive stalled peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians.
