Abbas: US realizes Israel should stop all forms of settlements

May 31, 2009, 14:00 GMT

Amman - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday US President Barack Obama 'realized' that Israel should stop all forms of settlements in the Palestinian territories as a prelude for successful negotiations with the Palestinians.

'The Israeli side should honour their commitments (under the roadmap), including the cessation of all forms of settlements, whether it is natural growth or anything else,' Abbas told reporters after a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II on his way back home from Washington where he held discussions with Obama.

'The Americans realize this and have urged the Israelis to carry it out as one of the steps to be taken for going back to the negotiations that should be conducted on the basis of the roadmap and the Arab peace initiative,' he added.

Abbas denied as 'baseless' reports that the United States wanted to introduce changes into the Arab peace blueprint, which envisages extending recognition to Israel by all Arab states if Israel pulls out from all the Arab territories occupied in the 1967 Six Day War, including East Jerusalem.

The Palestinian leader said he had briefed Abdullah on the outcome of his talks with Obama, who expressed strong support for the establishment of a Palestinian state living in peace with Israel.

A statement from the Jordanian royal court said the two leaders discussed 'latest efforts aimed at re-launching serious and effective negotiations to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of the two-state vision.'

In response to questions about the prospects of the Egypt-brokered dialogue between his Fatah group and the rival Hamas movement, Abbas said 'it is in the interest of all Palestinians to see this dialogue succeed.'