Palestinians welcome Paris conference concluding statement

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday evening "the Paris conference has reaffirmed and reiterated all international legitimacy resolutions, including pillars of international law, rejecting any dictations, settlements and imposing realities on the ground, including Jerusalem."

Abbas expressed thanks to the French president and government for hosting this conference and exerting all necessary efforts for its success.

Palestinians welcomed the peace conference held in Paris Sunday, attended by 70 Foreign Ministers and five international organizations.

The conference concluding statement reaffirmed the importance of ending the Israeli occupation and the right of the Palestinian people to establish its independent state, living side by side with Israel under the two-state solution.

The outcomes of the Paris conference for Middle East peace echoed the UN Security Council resolution 2334, said Abbas, calling for implementing the UN resolution and the Paris conference statement.

The Palestinian president also called on states that haven't yet recognized the State of Palestine to do so, in order to safeguard the two-state solution and spread security and stability in the region.

So far 138 countries recognize Palestine as a state.

Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization Saeb Erekat said that the concluding statement issued by more than 70 foreign ministers is a message to Israel that it can't achieve peace and security without ending its occupation first.

Erekat urged in an emailed statement France to recognize the Palestinian state on the borders of 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital immediately.

"We appreciate the participation of each and every country and their commitment to the right of our people to establish our independent sovereign state to live side by side in peace and security alongside Israel. They have again created a momentum in rejection to Israeli occupation and its settlement enterprise on the land of Palestine," said the statement.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki said the Paris peace conference statement came complementary to the the latest UN resolution against settlements and constitutes another diplomatic achievement for Palestinians.

Malki said the adopted statement reflects the international consensus rejecting the occupation.

The Paris conference for Middle East peace concluded its one day deliberations after France launched a peace initiative a year ago to revive peace negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis.

The peace talks between Israel and Palestine have been stalled since April 2014. The U.S.-sponsored talks that lasted for nine months achieved no tangible results. Endit