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Palestine asks world to remain alert to stop any action undermining peace talks

27 September 2013 03:57 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Palestine on Thursday called upon the international community "to remain alert to condemn and stop any actions on the ground that would undermine negotiations," such as the continuation of settlement construction on the occupied territory, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Mohamoud Abbas, the president of the State of Palestine, made the statement as he was addressing the General Debate of the UN General Assembly, which opened here Tuesday.

"The start of a new round of negotiations is good news, but it cannot be sufficient grounds for relaxing vigilance or give the international community an exaggerated sense of tranquility," the president said. "At the same time, the international community is asked to remain alert to condemn and stop any actions on the ground that would undermine negotiations -- and I refer here, above all, to the continuation of settlement construction on our Palestinian land, particularly in Jerusalem."

"There is an international consensus -- among the countries of the world, international and regional organizations and the International Court of Justice -- on the illegality and illegitimacy of these settlements," he said.

The 193-member General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Nov. 29, 2012 to raise Palestine's status to that of a non-member observer state. Abbas said he was honored to address the UN General Assembly "for the first time in the name of the State of Palestine. "

"The Palestinian people celebrated this resolution, because they rightly felt that they did not stand alone in the world, but that the world stands with them, and because they realized that the result of your overwhelming vote meant that justice is still possible and that there still is room for hope," he said.

Abbas on Tuesday met U.S. President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the annual high-level debate of the UN General Assembly. It was the first meeting between the two presidents since Washington convinced the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table with Israel after a three-year halt of the Mideast peace talk.

"The negotiations we are undertaking with the Israeli government under the auspices of the United States require that the international community exert every effort to make them succeed, namely by international and regional organizations, as well as by individual States upholding the international consensus on the goal of peace, the objectives of the negotiations, the terms of reference and the basis for a permanent peace agreement," Abbas said.

The United Nations is part of the Middle East Quartet, a diplomatic group which also comprises the European Union, Russia and the United States, in search of the two-state solution, which means a secure Israel to live in peace with an independent State of Palestine.