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Merkel, Abbas call for quick resumption of Middle East peace talks
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 05 - 05 - 2011


German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas stressed Thursday the need to quickly resume
negotiations over the Middle East peace process, at talks in Berlin, dpa reported.
"Given the very changed situation across the entire North African
region, I think a peaceful solution is even more urgent ... than it
has been for a long time," Merkel said.
At the same time the chancellor warned against unilaterally
recognizing an independent Palestinian state - a move that France has
threatened if negotiations did not advance.
"We do not think that unilateral steps are helpful," the
chancellor said.
Following Wednesday's reconciliation between secular Fatah and
Islamist Hamas, Merkel warned that the Palestinian authorities must
respect three criteria - the recognition of Israel's right to exist,
a rejection of violence and a commitment to the negotiation process.
Abbas insisted that he remained the president of all Palestinian
people - including Hamas - and would continue to conduct the
political process on all their behalf.
"Signing the reconciliation between the Palestinians will have no
effect on the peace process, quite the opposite," Abbas said.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy earlier told French daily
l'Express, "If the peace process is still virtually dead in
September, France will take its responsibility on the issue of
recognizing the Palestinian state."
More than 110 states have recognized an independent Palestinian
state, including several eastern EU members as well as Brazil, China,
India, Russia and South Africa.
Should the United Nations Security Council veto a request for
recognition, Abbas plans to put the question to the UN General
Assembly in September.
"We cannot tell the United Nations, 'You have to accept this.',"
Abbas said.
"We are telling the world, this is the situation. We want to be an
independent state, what do you think? Can you accept that the
Palestinian people remain occupied? That is the question."


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