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Palestinians to decide on talks after Quartet invite

13 August 2010 20:02 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. The Palestinians will decide whether to hold direct talks with Israel after the diplomatic Quartet issues a formal invitation, a senior Palestinian official said Friday, APA reports quoting AFP.
The Quartet, made up of the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia was expected to issue a statement in the coming days after months of US-led efforts to revive direct negotiations suspended in late 2008.
"We are waiting for a statement from the Quartet to take the appropriate decision on direct negotiations," Nimr Hamad, an aide to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, told AFP.
"The Quartet should meet or issue a statement to invite the two parties, Israelis and the Palestinians, to enter into direct negotiations," he said.
"We hope the statement will include some important points that were in the previous Quartet statement issued in March."
In that statement the Quartet called on Israel to halt all settlement construction and for the two sides to resume final status talks with the goal of reaching a peace deal in 24 months.
Israel has repeatedly called for direct talks, but gave a frosty reception to the March statement when it was issued, with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman saying it hurt the chances for reaching an accord.
The EU’s top diplomat Catherine Ashton said Abbas was very close to reaching a decision on the direct talks and should give a "definitive answer" early next week, according to a letter to foreign ministers seen by AFP on Friday.
She said direct peace talks could begin later this month.
After months of US pressure the Palestinians reluctantly entered into indirect talks with Israel in May but have said they will not upgrade to direct negotiations without a complete settlement freeze, clear guidelines on final borders and a timeline for reaching an agreement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he wants to meet with Abbas as soon as possible but has balked at the Palestinian demands.
The last round of direct negotiations aimed at resolving the decades-old conflict collapsed in December 2008 when Israel launched a blistering offensive in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip aimed at halting rocket attacks.