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Abbas to meet French president in Paris on April 17: official

Xinhua, April 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet on April 17 in Paris with French President François Hollande to discuss France initiative for peace in the Middle East, an official announced on Monday.

Reyad el-Malki, Palestinian Minister of foreign affairs told "Voice of Palestine" Radio that President Abbas will arrive in Paris on April 15, adding that Abbas is scheduled to stay for two days and will meet with Hollande.

Asked about French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault's visit to the West Bank, which was scheduled for early April, el-Malki said "the visit was called off due to the intensive French consultations over France's peace initiative."

Former Foreign Minister of France Laurent Fabius has in January announced that his country will speed up moving its initiative for holding an international peace conference to succeed the principle of the two states solution.

The Palestinians welcome the French initiative, while Israel refrained from welcoming it and said that it will encourage the Palestinians to foil the peace negotiations.

Direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians stopped in April 2014 after it went on for nine months and were sponsored by the United States. The talks achieved no significant progress due to deep difference between the two sides.

Meanwhile, el-Malki said the Palestinian side still wishes to get to the UN Security Council for a bid that asks the global organization to make a resolution that calls on Israel to freeze settlement in the Palestinian territories. Endit