By DPA,
Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt) : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said after talks in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh he was not opposed to any separate peace deal between Syria and Israel.
Speaking after talks with Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak, Abbas said he had no objection to Turkey’s mediation efforts between Syria and Israel.
“We support any dialogue and deal reached by Syria as we do not consider this detrimental to the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians,” Abbas said.
The Palestinian leader said he told US President George W Bush Jewish settlements should be halted and the 1967 border would have to be the basis of any agreement with Israel.
There are serious efforts, according to Abbas, by all sides in the peace process to reach a Palestinian-Israeli agreement before the end of 2008.
“We have to be hopeful. But we don’t know whether we will reach an agreement or not,” Abbas noted.
“I told Bush that the continuing settlements do not give hope to anyone,” the Palestinian leader said about his talks with Bush in Washington last week.
“We asked Bush to be very clear about the fact that any deal with Israel should be on the basis of the border of the pre-1967 war,” Abbas said.
Abbas is due to meet Bush again on May 17 in Sharm el-Sheikh. The US president is scheduled to start a regional tour in mid-May.
The Palestinian leader, who arrived in Egypt Saturday, briefed Mubarak about the outcome of his talks in Washington and Moscow on the faltering peace process with Israel.
Abbas’ visit to Egypt comes as Palestinian factions are bracing for a meeting hosted by Egypt to discuss proposals to de-escalate the situation in the Gaza Strip.