By KUNA,
Gaza : Palestinian Authority chief negotiator Saeb Erakat said on Monday US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would tour the Middle East region and visit the Palestinian territories in the middle of the current month.
“Rice’s visit to the region will be paid if it is not undermined by any development that might take place,” Erekat said, noting that following up the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli negotiations was the main purpose for her prospected mission.
“On our part,” he said, “we would present the roadmap that was worked out by the international committee for peace in the Middle East, which stipulated that Israel halt the settlement expansion in the West Bank according to the plan first phase.” It also calls for stopping construction of the separation wall in that region, frequent detention operations and lifting Israeli-imposed siege on Gaza Strip, along with tackling the deportees’ dossier.
The Palestinian official expressed his concerns over prospects of reaching a peace agreement with Israel “at this point of talks.” US President George W. Bush promised the Palestinian people on many occasions to help them set up their own independent state before the end of 2008.
Erakat said the Palestinians will never give up their right for restoring Jerusalem as the capital of the aspired Palestinian state, “and will never go through any partial solutions with Israel.” Washington has reportedly mounted pressure on both the Palestinian and the Israeli sides to push them approve a mutual agreement before President Bush ends his mandate.
The Palestinians call for comprehensive solutions to their intractable problems in their negotiations with Israel, namely the issues of Jerusalem and refugees.