国际英语新闻：Palestinian leader Abbas in Paris over peace talks

PARIS, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has flown to Paris over the resumed peace negotiations with the Israelies, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.

President Nicolas Sarkozy is due to receive his Palestinian counterpart Abbas at the Elysee Palace for a working lunch, and Prime Minister Francois Fillion will meet Abbas Monday afternoon, according to the ministry's statement.

The statement said French-Palestinian exchanges "take place at a decisive moment of the resumed Israeli-Palestinian direct negotiations," and the parties are due to discuss how France and the European Union can continue to help to resolve the conflict.

Palestinian and Israeli negotiators joined the same table of negotiations early this month in Washington in a hope to re-launch direct talks and find concrete solutions to end the long bloody Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

However, direct peace talks are believed to fail in outlining borders of two separate states within a year after Israel defied U.S. calls to extend the period of construction halt that expired last night. The Palestinian leader vowed to withdraw from negotiations if Israel insists in resuming settlement construction in the West Bank.

International community repeatedly called the Palestinians and Israelis to co-exist peacefully, but the efforts were frustrated again and again as negotiations were blocked sine 2008 after Israeli forces raid to halt rocket fire from the Gaza enclave ruled by the militant Hamas movement.