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Palestinian negotiator: No treaty with Israel that excludes Jerusalem

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-09-02 17:31

RAMALLAH -- Chief Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qurei stressed on Tuesday that there will be no final peace agreement between the Palestinians and Israel that excludes east Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state.

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (R) greets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat (C) stands nearby, during their meeting in Jerusalem August 31, 2008, in this picture released by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO). [Agencies]

"The Palestinian leadership rejects postponing of excluding any of the permanent status issues," Qurei told reporters after a meeting in Abu Dis with the Quartet Committee envoy Tony Blair.

Qurei stressed that any final peace agreement reached with Israel "must include all the permanent status issues, mainly Jerusalem, the capital of the Palestinian state, and the Palestinian refugees' right of return."

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After Annapolis conference held last November in the United States, Israel and the Palestinians agreed to form two negotiation teams to reach an agreement on the six major permanent status issues before the end of the year.

The six permanent status issues are: Jerusalem, the Palestinian refugees, the Jewish settlements in the West Bank, water, borders of the future Palestinian state and the issue of security.

So far, all reports are saying that some progress has been achieved in other issues, mainly security and borders, while there is a pressure exerted on the Palestinians to leave the issues of refugees and Jerusalem for future talks.

"I briefed Blair on the clear Palestinian position that rejects any partial or interim agreement. I also explained to him that we reject the postponement of any of the main issues," Qurei told reporters at his office in Abu Dis.

Qurei said he also briefed Blair on what he described as "the destructive Israeli measures to the peace process in order to create new realities on the ground, mainly settlements expansion in Jerusalem and around it."

He reiterated that the Palestinians have other choices if reaching a complete final deal on the permanent status issues failed, "such as a unilateral declaration of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital."

For his part, Blair said that he expressed to Qurei his understanding to the Palestinian position which rejects dividing the major issues that lead to ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts.

The former British prime minister expressed readiness of the Quartet including the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union to play an active role in order to reach a political peace agreement that puts an end to a long era of bloody conflict.