Palestine to consider resumption of talks with Israel

PanARMENIAN.Net - Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee member and Palestinian delegate to the UN Hanan Ashrawi said Friday, September 23 that the Palestinians will have to decide whether to accept the Quartet's call for a resumption of peace negotiations aimed at achieving an agreement by 2012.

“Abu Mazen (Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas) will return to the PA and discuss the proposal together with the Palestinian leadership,” she told Ynet in a special interview. “We are not closing any doors, but will respond to the proposal from Ramallah.”

Referring to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech before the General Assembly, Ashrawi said she was left unimpressed. “I listened to the speech very carefully, but I can say it was nothing more than a public relations ploy. If he wants to do PR he must understand that there is no time left for tricks as the situation is very sensitive. He must realize – this is the moment of truth.”

Addressing Netanyahu's call to Abbas to meet in the UN building, Ashrawi said: “The president is always willing to meet, but is Netanyahu willing to stop settlement construction? Is he willing to negotiate the 1967 lines? Is he willing to accept UN resolutions? If his answer is positive then we can meet. We have been engaged in negotiations for 20 years now, we are tired of requests to meet for the sake of meeting.”