Sunday, October 2, 2011

French, Italian Foreign Ministers Express Regret over Israeli Settlement

BORDEAUX, October 2, 2011 (WAFA) – French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe and his Italian counterpart Franco Frattini Sunday expressed regret over the continuation of Israeli settlement construction in East Jerusalem, stressing that this move will prevent the resumption of negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, according to the Middle East News Agency (MENA).

In a joint press conference held in the city of Bordeaux in France, Juppe called on Palestinians and Israelis to resume negotiations, expressing regret over the Israeli approval of a plan to build 1100 housing units in East Jerusalem.

He added that “the international initiative, which called for the resumption of direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations and reaching an agreement by the end of 2012, has not succeeded.”

Frattini affirmed that the Israeli decision to build more settlement units does not help in pushing the peace process forward and in resuming negotiations, explaining that despite that decision, Europeans still insist on the need for a prompt resumption of negotiations.

He stressed that the European Union, in cooperation with the international Quartet, has made great efforts to push the peace process forward

Palestine News & Info Agency - WAFA

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