Diplomats: PA accepts peace conference proposal
Palestinian FM accepts call by Arab foreign ministers to convene conference ‘to reach just and comprehensive settlement to Arab-Israeli conflict’; Arab diplomats lift financial blockade on PA in response to US veto
Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar accepted an Arab proposal on Sunday for a peace conference to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Arab diplomats said.
Zahar, of the ruling Hamas party, endorsed a statement by Arab foreign ministers calling for the peace conference during a meeting in Cairo, said the diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
“The ministers call to convene a peace conference attended by Arab parties, Israel and the permanent members of the UN Security Council in order to reach a just and comprehensive settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict on all tracks according to international resolutions and the principal of ‘land for peace’,” the statement said.
'No international siege'
The Top Arab diplomats decided to lift the financial blockade on Palestinians in response to a US veto on a UN Security Council draft resolution condemning Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
"We decided not to cooperate with it (the blockade). There will no longer be an international siege," said Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheik Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.
On Saturday, the US Vetoed the Security Council draft resolution that condemned the Israeli military offensive and demands that Israeli troops pull out of the territory.
Sunday's discussions on the offensive were attended by 11 Arab foreign ministers and other senior officials and diplomats at the Cairo headquarters of the Arab League.
