Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat announced on Tuesday that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert are scheduled to meet this weekend.
Erekat told reporters that Abbas would ask Olmert in the meeting to stop settlements activities in the West Bank "because settlements and peace can't live together."
Meanwhile, Palestinian negotiator Yasser Abed Rabbo said Tuesday that any progress in the peace process "is linked to stopping all Israeli obstacles including expansion of settlements."
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators held a session of talks in Jerusalem Monday evening. The session, according to Palestinian negotiators, ended without making any progress. The issues of settlements expansion dominated the session.
After Annapolis peace conference held in late November, Israel had suddenly decided to build 203 housing units in the Har Homa settlements between east Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
"According to the roadmap plan, all settlements activities, not only in the West Bank, but also in Jerusalem area is not allowed. I believe that Israel should anyway show a commitment to ending settlements activities," said Abed Rabbo.
Source:Xinhua
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