Saturday, September 24, 2011

Foreign Minister says Quartet statement Short

RAMALLAH, September 24, 2011 (WAFA) – Foreign Minister Riad Malki said Saturday that a quartet statement on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict issued late Friday is short of meeting Palestinian expectations.

He told Voice of Palestine radio that the quartet, which is composed of the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations, failed to address the issue of Israeli settlements and the 1967 borders.

He said the only new thing that came in the quartet statement was the timeframe for reaching an agreement on security and borders.

The quartet called on the Palestinians and Israelis to sit down and reach an agreement on an agenda within one month, then “to come forward with comprehensive proposals within three months on territory and security, and to have made substantial progress within six months.”

It said the parties should reach a final agreement by the end of next year.

Malki, speaking from New York, also told Voice of Palestine that the UN Security Council will discuss on Monday the Palestinian application for UN membership, expressing hope that a vote in favor of the request will be cast soon.

He said Palestinian officials were still exerting effort with Security Council member states, particularly Gabon, Nigeria and Bosnia Herzegovina, to get the nine votes needed in support of the bid.



Palestine News & Info Agency - WAFA

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