By Xinhua,
Ramallah : Chief Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qurei on Monday said the ongoing peace talks with Israel did not make any progress on the key outstanding issues.
“The negotiations are going on seriously and they are difficult, but we did not reach an agreement on any final-status issues,” namely the status of Jerusalem, the return of refugees and borders, Qurei told reporters in Ramallah.
The staggering peace talks were renewed last November at the Annapolis conference in the United States. The Palestinians and the U.S. administration hope to reach a deal on a Palestinian statehood alongside Israel before U.S. President George W. Bush quits the White House in January.
“The Palestinian people and their leadership have their clear ambitions and demands: a free and independent statehood in which our rights are reserved and our freedom is maintained with Jerusalem as its eternal capital,” Qurei said.
Qurei accused Israel of hindering the efforts of establishing a Palestinian statehood in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem.
“Israel aborts this choice and if it continued to do this, then the Palestinian people will demand one statehood with dual nationalities,” Qurei said.
Since the Annapolis conference, Israel increased its settlement activities in East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians consider as their future capital, and in the West Bank, leaving rounds of talks going in vain.