Palestinian ex-PM against immediate resumption of talks with Israel

"Many call for the immediate resumption of Palestinian-Israeli talks, including our Russian friends. But it is needed to ask ourselves: have the proper conditions for the resumption of such negotiations been created?" Ahmed Qurei, who had led Palestinian negotiators for years, told an international conference headlined "Middle East 2020: Is the Comprehensive Settlement Possible?" in Jordan.
The conference, organized by Russian News & Information Agency RIA Novosti and the Russian Council for Foreign and Defense Policy within the framework of the Valdai International Discussion Club, is discussing the Middle East settlement, global energy security, the strengthening the Non-proliferation regime, and a range of other international issues.
The event is to run until December 22.
The former Palestinian prime minister said the Palestinian-Israeli talks, if resumed amid the present situation, would be "just a guise for the implementation of the Israeli unilateral plan," aimed at maintaining the present situation in the region and the further occupation of Palestinian territories.
However, he said, peace between Israel and Palestine remains a strategic goal of the Palestinian authorities, adding the Jordan meeting shows that "there is still light at the end of this long tunnel"; Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru for full version.