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French president postpones Middle East peace conference to summer

Xinhua, May 17, 2016 Adjust font size:

A French-sponsored international conference to re-launch Israeli-Palestinian peace talks stand postponed from May to the summer, French President Francois Hollande announced on Tuesday.

In an interview with local broadcaster Europe 1, Hollande said the gathering, initially scheduled for May 30, would be delayed as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry cannot come on that date.

"(The summit) will take place in the course of the summer," he added.

"This summit is necessary because if nothing happens, if there is no strong French initiative, then terrorist attacks and conflicts are going to continue," Hollande noted.

The planned international gathering in Paris aiming to end the deadlocked of the Middle East peace process is to include the Middle East Quartet (the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations) and many Arab countries.

While Israel and Palestine would not initially participate, the conference aims to lay the groundwork for future peace talks involving both parties.

In Ramallah, Palestinian leaders welcome French initiative to resume peace talks. However, in the rival camp, Israeli officials opposed the planned conference demanding to start direct negotiations without preconditions.

The last round of peace negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian authorities broke down in April 2014 after the two sides failed to resolve their deep disputes on Israeli settlements, Palestinian state borders and security. Endit