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Austria calls on Israel to extend settlement freeze

26 September 2010 05:00 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. With the 10-month freeze on Israeli settlement construction in the Palestinian authority set to expire on Sunday, Austria on Saturday called on the Israeli government to extend the moratorium, APA reports quoting news.xinhuanet.com website.

The statement came as Austrian Minister for European and International Affairs Michael Spindelegger addressed the general debate of the 65th session of the UN General Assembly, which began here on Thursday. Throughout the week-long general debate, heads of UN member states will address the Assembly on the most pressing international issues.

The peace process remains tense as Israel had imposed a partial moratorium on settlement construction in the West Bank, which is due to expire on Sept. 26. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian negotiators have threatened to walk out of direct talks that resumed in Washington earlier this month, if Israeli officials fail to extend the settlement freeze.

"We believe that the extension of the settlement moratorium is fundamental for keeping the talks on track and creating an environment in which the core issues can be tackled successfully," said Spindelegger.

"It is equally important that the efforts of the Palestinian authorities to build up functioning institutions for a future Palestinian state will move forward dynamically," he added.

Highlighting the importance of the peace talks, the Austrian minister referred to Middle East conflict as "one of the most urging threats to peace and security."

Spindelegger said he hopes that both sides take note of the enormous responsibilities they bear. "These talks offer the first concrete prospects for a sustainable peace in the Middle East in many years."