A senior Palestinian official denied on Wednesday an earlier statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the stalled Mideast peace talks will resume within a few weeks, Xinhua reported.
Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli media quoted Netanyahu as saying during the security conference held in the northern Israeli city of Herzileya that he expects the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks to unconditionally resume within the coming few weeks.
Nabil Abu Rdeineh, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, told reporters that "the only path to launch serious talks that lead to a just and settled peace is that Israel completely stops its settlement activities."
He added that settlement activities "should not only stop in the West Bank, but also in the occupied East Jerusalem, while the Palestinian leadership is committed to real and serious peace talks."
The Israeli-Palestinian peace talks had been stalled since December 2008 after Israel insisted to keep expanding settlements in the Palestinian territories. The Palestinians for their part refused talks with Israel unless it completely stops settlements.
Abu Rdeineh said that the Palestinian leadership is not aware of what Netanyahu had stated, adding "the only thing Israel has to do is to be committed to the implementation of the Road Map peace plan."
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