Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said that within the next two days the Americans will respond to a Palestinian demand that Washington guarantee Israel's commitment to the peace process, particularly with regards to settlement construction.
"We've made our position on this matter clear," Erekat said after the meeting, adding that PA chief Mahmoud Abbas and US envoy George Mitchell are expected to hold additional talks on Saturday and Sunday.
According to Erekat, during the meeting Abbas stressed that reports of imminent indirect talks are "premature."
"We will reach a decision during the PLO Executive Committee's convention, which is scheduled for Saturday, and we expect Israel to respect all of its obligations, first and foremost the halt to settlement construction and the opening of PA institutions in east Jerusalem," said Erekat.
"We are not talking about trust-building measures by the Israelis, but about obligations that the Israeli government must live up to," he added.
Earlier on Friday, President Shimon Peres told Mitchell that Israel was committed to reaching a Middle East settlement that would see the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state beside Israel, but that security must be a central focus of these talks, something the Palestinians firmly reject and demand that talks resume from where they've ended.
Addressing doubts expressed by senior Israeli officials regarding the chances of successful talks, Erekat said, "This attitude surprises me. It dooms the talks to failure before they have even begun. I believe they (Israel) will make every effort to hinder the negotiations."
"We want Mitchell, (US President Barack) Obama and the entire world to know what our demands are a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and a halt to settlement construction," Erekat said.
"We expect Israel to choose the path of negotiations rather than the path of settlements," he said.
HAMAS: DON'T APPROVE ABSURD PROXIMITY TALKS
Meanwhile, a Hamas movement statement urged the Palestinian Authority not to approve the resumption of talks with Israel, saying that such a move would only legitimize Israel's occupation, the Palestinian Ma'an news agency reported Friday.
The statement rejected continued talks with Israel, saying that, what it calls the "absurd proximity talks" would only "give the Israeli occupation an umbrella to commit more crimes against the Palestinians."
"Hamas calls on the PLO to stop selling illusions to the Palestinian people and announce the failure of their gambling on absurd talks," Hamas said.
On Friday, the Xinuah news agency said that the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine group also rejected upcoming proximity, saying those talks would be "ill and absurd, no matter it is direct or indirect."
Mitchell arrived earlier this week in occupied territories, and has already held two days of talks with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
[Source: Al Manar]
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