Demands clarification. Abbas
Photo: AFP
Promises still valid. Mitchell
Photo: AP
Abbas to Mitchell: End siege
Palestinian leader wants Israel to allow transfer of goods from West Bank to Gaza
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and US special envoy George Mitchell met in Ramallah Friday afternoon and discussed the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
The meeting focused on the progress of proximity talks between the two parties. Top PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said that Abbas requested that Mitchell provide clarifications on reports that Israel plans to build 1,600 housing units in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo.
Erekat said Mitchell told Abbas that the US promise to the Palestinians that there would be no further construction in the settlements was still valid.
Erekat added that Abbas demanded that the US Administration work to lift the siege on the Gaza Strip and ensure that all the basic needs of the Strip's population are met. The negotiator said Abbas demanded that the movement of goods between the Strip and the West Bank be permitted, and said the blockade is a form of collective punishment that cannot continue.
He stressed that all six crossings into Gaza should be opened and said reports of easements are not enough and the siege should be completely lifted.
Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif also made similar statements hours before the Abbas-Mitchell meeting.
"Israel must lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip," he said, estressing that his country has done its part by re-opening the Rafah crossing after three years of closure.
