US still committed to helping Palestinians to form state
US Special Envoy to the Middle East reviews issues blocking resumption of talks with Israel
Ramallah: The US administration is committed to creating a viable Palestinian state where Palestinians live in dignity side by side with Israel, which should enjoy safe borders, said George Mitchell, US Special Envoy to the Middle East.
Mitchell was speaking on Tuesday at a joint press conference with chief Palestinian negotiator Dr Saeb Erekat after Mitchell met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
Mitchell said the US is aware of huge difficulties on the way to peace, "but we have accepted this challenge and we are determined to reach a peace deal between the Palestinians and the Israelis".
He added that he reviewed in discussions with Abbas and other Palestinian leaders the conditions for resuming the peace process and future steps.
He highlighted the commitment of US President Barack Obama and his administration to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian struggle and achieving a peace agreement between Israel and Palestinians to be expanded later to include Syria and Lebanon.
Return to region
He said he will be returning to the region in a few days to continue his discussions with the parties.
Dr Erekat said that the US offered the Palestinians ideas in Washington and Ramallah, and the Palestinians offered their stand based on the related international resolutions.
"During our meeting with Senator Mitchell, we highlighted the Palestinian stand that is based on setting up a Palestinian state on the basis of the 1967 borders including [occupied] East Jerusalem, which is covered by the Security Council Resolution which banned occupying the lands of others by force," he said.
"Those who speak about peace and adopt the two-states-for-two-peoples formula should force Israel to halt all its colony activities and stop its unilateral activities in [occupied] Jerusalem including demolishing the houses," he said.
Talking about negotiations, Dr Erekat said, basically requires the Israelis to halt all their colony activities. "The international community should focus on stopping the Israeli government from creating new facts on the ground," he said.
