Roundup: Postponing Paris meeting made upon Kerry's request: official

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry asked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to postpone a meeting scheduled in Paris, end of May, for foreign ministers of 20 countries to prepare for holding an international conference for peace in the Middle East, an official said Tuesday.

According to Ahmed Majdalani, an official in Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Kerry had spoken on the phone with Abbas several days ago to discuss the postponement of Paris meeting because "he (Kerry) wanted to attend the meeting but in a proper time that fits his schedule."

"The Palestinian leadership knew in advance that the meeting in Paris was going to be postpone," Majdalani told Xinhua, adding that "there has been a last minute contact between France and the Palestinian leadership and both agreed on postponing the preparatory meeting."

He went on saying that both France and the Palestinian side will keep their contacts and efforts to set up another date after getting the confirmation of all countries, including the United States, to participate in the preparatory meeting for holding an international conference for peace in the Middle East.

Earlier on Tuesday, French President François Hollande announced that France decided to postpone the preparatory meeting for foreign ministers of Arab and foreign countries that was scheduled to be held in Paris at the end of May. Israel Public Radio reported that the meeting will be held on summer.

Saeb Erekat, the PLO secretary general, had earlier on Tuesday stated that Kerry informed President Abbas that he intends to attend the meeting, but he would prefer if it is possible to postpone it for another time. Israel had officially announced that it oppose holding a peace conference.

"The Israeli position is provocative as usual and it is based on the fact of rejection and putting in-advance conditions to empty the French initiative from its content and then bring it a failure," said Mjdalani, adding that "the Palestinians are determined to go to the end."

The last direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians had stopped in April 2014 after it went on for nine months and were sponsored by the United States. However, the talks failed to achieve any progress due to differences in issues related to settlement, borders and recognition of a Palestinian state.

Meanwhile, President Abbas on Tuesday told members of left-wing Israeli parties that the Israeli policies of repression and arrests against the Palestinians and settlement constructions in the Palestinian territories "will never bring peace and security to Israel."

"I believe that both the Israelis and the Palestinians are in need for peace and security, and in case both have the desire, I think both of use can make peace as immediate as possible," Abbas told the Israelis, adding that "the Palestinians are the last people on earth who still live under the Israeli occupation."

He went on telling his Israeli left-wing parties activists guests "you want security so we have to cooperate in both security and fighting terrorism and also on ending the status of incitement in order to be able to make peace for your children and our children."

Abbas and the Palestinians have been calling on Israel to put an end to the expansion of settlement and to the construction of settlement in the Palestinian territories. He said the Palestinians want to see one day the borders of the independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Asked by the Israeli left-wing activists about the French initiative for peace in the Middle East, Abbas said "We hope that the French initiative would be fruitful and can find a fair solution to the Palestinian cause," adding "I really can find an explanation on why some of you reject the French initiative."

Abbas told the Israeli side that the Palestinians support the French initiative for making peace in the Middle East "because we want the international community to bear its responsibility towards finding a fair solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

In Gaza, Hamas movement, which opposes the peace process, the French peace initiative, the resumption of peace talks and the recognition of Israel, said that the French postponement of the meeting in Paris "is another additional failure of the peace choice and the peace settlement with Israel."

Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said in an emailed press statement that the declaration of France to postpone the ministerial meeting to prepare for holding a peace conference to end the conflict in the Middle East "is another failure of the settlement project of President Mahmoud Abbas." Endit