By Xinhua,
Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt : Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has expressed her cautiously optimism on the success of the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, the organizers of a World Economic Forum meeting said here Tuesday.
Livni voiced the cautiously optimism at a session of the World Economic Forum on the Middle East on Monday night at the Egyptian Red Sea resort, according to a press release issued by the organizers on Monday.
There would be no specific time for an agreement of the two sides that would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state, Livni was quoted as saying, adding “if it takes more time, it takes more time.”
However, the Israeli official promised that Israel is determined to continue the negotiations, adding “we are trying to reduce the pressure and frustration on both sides.”
Livni said the creation of a Palestinian state “is needed not only because of pressure from the international community but because it is in our own interest.”
As for the issue of the Gaza Strip, Livni said the presence of Hamas complicated the situation because “they are not willing to accept the right of Israel to exist.”
“We can not legitimize them (Hamas),” stressed Livni.
Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) resumed peace talks in November 2007 following the U.S.-hosted Annapolis conference on Mideast peace, but no significant progress has been achieved to date.