Erekat: Rice to visit Israel, PNA territories in Aug.

By Xinhua,

Ramallah : U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit Israel and the Palestinian territories in August to hold talks with the two sides about the peace process, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Thursday.


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“Rice will hold separated meetings with Palestinian and Israeli officials in addition to three-way meetings when she arrives on August 20,” Erekat said.

Erekat’s remarks were made after a three-way meeting in Washington to evaluate the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks eight months after they were launched at a U.S.-hosted conference in Annapolis.

During the latest meeting, Erekat said that the Palestinians, Israel and the U.S. agreed “that the deal be on the final-status issues or no deal.” He added that the Palestinians “will not agree on a solution based on partial agreement.”

The final-status issues involve the future Palestinian statehood. They include the status of Jerusalem, borders, refugees, prisoners, settlement and water.

The continuation of the Israeli settlement activities in West Bank, which will be part of the Palestinian statehood, blocks any progress in the negotiations.  

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