Palestinian negotiator rules out peace deal this year

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(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-09-07 20:33

RAMALLAH -- Chief Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qurei said Sunday that Israel makes it difficult to broker a peace treaty with the Palestinians before the end of this year.

"The Israeli political and factional situation, including the preparation of early elections, form a big obstacle on the road of making a real progress before the end of 2008," Qurei told reporters.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert decided to quit this month following a series of police investigations about money Olmert possibly received illegally before he took office.

The Israelis and Palestinians have been negotiating a Palestinian statehood alongside Israel since November 2007, but the US-sponsored talks did not reach any agreement on any final outstanding issues between the two sides.

The Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be their capital and they need solutions for the essential issues, mainly the borders of the statehood and the Palestinian refugees in Diaspora.

Qurei stressed that the Palestinian leadership "will not make any concession on the national principles regardless the consequences."

But the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, two territories would be part of the future Palestinian statehood, frustrated rounds of negotiation sessions.

Qurei urged Israel to "end the occupation with its all forms, stop the settlement activities, halt the construction of the separation wall that cuts the West Bank and stop making Jerusalem Jewish."