The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) said Thursday that negotiations with Israel will resume only after the Jewish state stops settlements and accepts the 1967 borders as the base for talks, dpa reported.
The PLO's Executive Committee, chaired by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, met in Ramallah to give its response to a statement issued by the international quartet on Middle East peace.
In a statement issued Friday in New York, the quartet, composed of the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia, called on the Palestinians and Israel to resume negotiations within one month and reach an agreement on borders and security within three months.
A statement issued at the conclusion of the meeting said that statement "had a number of encouraging elements," referring mainly to the timeframe for reaching an agreement, and the references made to international resolutions and the quartet's road map.
The PLO insisted that Israel must first say clearly that it agrees to stop settlement activities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and accept the 1967 borders in order to have meaningful negotiations.
PLO Secretary Yasser Abed Rabbo said in a press conference after reading the statement that it will not be enough for Israel to accept the quartet statement without stating clearly that it will stop settlements.
The statement strongly criticized Israeli plans to build 1,100 housing units in a Jewish settlement in occupied East Jerusalem, saying this decision shows that Israel "seeks to sabotage efforts by the international community to launch a serious peace process."
It said that the Palestinians will not accept to hold negotiations while Israel continues to build settlements.
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