Palestine ready to continue talks with Israel

RAMALLAH, (WEST BANK), July 25: Palestine is ready to continue talks with Israel despite the lack of progress to avoid the outbreak of “widespread violence”, the combined Palestinian leadership said today. “In continuing meetings with the Israelis, we are seeking to safegaurd the peace process and avoid the explosive situation leading to widespread violence because of the protracted deadlock in the peace process,” the leadership said in a statement carried by the official news agency WAFA.

The situation is compounded by “the policy of settlement, expansion and annexation aimed at judaising Jerusalem,” the Palestinian Authority and the executive committee of the PLO said after a meeting chaired by Yasser Arafat. “The Palestinian leadership remains ready to hold meetings with the Israelis, to resume negotiations rapidly and to respect the commitments it has made. “But the problem lies in the absence of a clearly set out Israeli position towards the US initiative and the peace process as a whole,” thestatement said.