Palestinians seek "serious, real talks" or unilateral declaration

Apr 25, 2011, 10:56 GMT

Cairo - The Palestinian Authority may defer its attempt to seek a declaration of a Palestinian state at the United Nations if 'real and serious' negotiations with Israel begin, an official was quoted Monday as saying.

The PA will not seek a unilateral declaration 'only if real and serious negotiations begin with Israel, based on the 1967 borders, very limited exchange of land and no exchanges of populations,' Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization Yasser Abd Rabbo told al-Hayat newspaper.

'The quartet should tackle these negotiations in accordance with the timetable we previously agreed on, which ends in September,' he told the London-based daily.

The UN, the European Union, the United States and Russia, which form the diplomatic quartet on the Middle East peace process, have called for reaching an agreement by September on all final status issues to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts.

'Otherwise, we will go to the United Nations, then ask them to deal with the military presence and the Israeli settlements as an assault on the sovereignty of another state, which is a member of the United Nations,' Abd Rabbo said.

'These are the two solutions for international powers, especially Washington. We do not have a third option,' he added.

Abd Rabbo said that the authority will honour all of its internal and external obligations as a formal state, but that it would not accept Israeli military or civilian presence in its territories.

The UN has called for support for Palestinian Authority leaders as they achieve institutional steps for a Palestinian state despite restraints in the political and physical space available to them.

The UN said last week that the PA had made progress in achieving steps that are now 'sufficient for a functioning government of a state.'

The peace process between Israel and the Palestinians has been in limbo since September, when talks were broken off after just two weeks by the Palestinians when Israel refused to renew a partial moratorium on building settlements on Palestinian territory.

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