Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
said on Thursday he hoped peace talks with Israel
would restart this year although the chances of a resumption seemed slim.
Abbas made his comments during a meeting in Moscow
with Russian President Vladimir Putin,
who said Russia would do all it could to promote peace in the region.
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"We ... hope that substantive peace talks will start this year, although the hopes are probably not very high," Abbas said through an interpreter at talks at a state residence outside Moscow.
"We hope that in the end we will reach a political solution based on the two-state
principle," he said.
Peace talks broke down in 2010 over Palestinian objections to Israel expanding settlements on
land the Palestinians want for a state. Israel has called for a resumption of the talks without
preconditions.
Russia, a member of the Quartet
of Middle East peace mediators along with the United States,
the United Nations
and the European Union,
has criticized the Israeli settlement
expansion.
Putin has tried to balance relations with Arabs including the Palestinians, dating back to the Soviet
era, with improved ties to Israel during his 13 years in power.
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