国际英语新闻：Erekat: Israel refuses to resume final-status talks

RAMALLAH, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Senior Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erekat accused on Monday the Israeli government headed by right-wing leader Benjamin Netanyahu refusing to resume the talks on final-status issues.

    After met with Sergey Verenich, a senior aide to Russian Foreign Minister, Erekat told reporters that "the non Israeli commitment to implement the roadmap plan means it refuses to resume talks on the final-status issues."

    According to the negotiator, the final-status issues are related to east Jerusalem, the border of the future Palestinian state, settlement, refugees, water, security and the release of prisoners.

    Erekat briefed Verenich and a high-ranking Russian diplomatic delegation on the current political development, mainly the Israeli rejection to the principle of the two-state solution, and the continuation of settlement.

    Netanyahu had stated two weeks ago that his government would stop building new settlements in the West Bank, but said that it would bear in mind the natural growth of the current ones.

    Erekat said that U.S. peace envoy George Mitchell will visit Middle East countries this week after he attended the Palestinian donors' conference in Oslo on Monday. He is scheduled to hold talks with Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian and Egyptian officials on issues related to peace in the region.

    Abbas had stated earlier on Monday that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) is ready to resume peace talks with Israel as soon as the Jewish state implements the first article of the roadmap peace plan.

    "We don't put conditions, but Israel has to carry out the first article of the Road Map which it (Israel) accepted more than seven years ago," Abbas told reporters in Ramallah.

    The U.S.-backed plan obliges Israel to stop all settlement activities in the Palestinian territories, reopening the PNA offices in East Jerusalem and withdrawing forces from inside the Palestinian-controlled areas.