Dubai: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday stuck to his demand that Israel must halt colony construction on Palestinian territory before direct peace talks can resume.
Abbas's declaration came in the wake of a diplomatic flurry in the region following the US announcement that it has failed to persuade Israel to impose a new freeze on colonies.
After holding more than an hour of talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo on Thursday on "what comes after" Washington's announcement, Abbas told reporters: "We will not accept negotiations as long as settlements [colonies] continue."
In an attempt to keep the door open for future talks with the Israelis, Abbas said a final decision on talks would be taken in consultation with Arab and Palestinian officials.
"There must be clear references to peace ... and we will discuss all that with the follow-up committee, the Palestinian leadership and after that there will be a decision," Abbas said.
Palestinian chief negotiator Saeeb Erakat and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad are heading to Washington for talks with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak and top negotiator Isaac Molho left ahead of them.
Washington is still hoping a peace deal can be reached next year. However, Gassan Khatib, Palestinian National Authority spokesperson, told Gulf News that "the international community has to think with us of alternatives for the bilateral talks."
