国际英语新闻：PLO calls on Quartet to support condemnation of settlement

RAMALLAH, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on Wednesday called on the international Quartet Committee, which will convene next months, to support a Palestinian demand to the Security Council to condemn Jewish settlement construction in the Palestinian territories.

The PLO call on the Quartet was made as the Qatari Satellite News Channel, Al-Jazeera TV, has been uncovering papers related to secrets discussed in closed doors between Palestinian and Israeli negotiators. The PLO considered al-Jazeera reporting aimed at weakening the Palestinian diplomacy.

Yasser Abed Rabbo, Secretary General of the PLO executive committee, told a news conference in Ramallah that the Palestinian bill that will be filed to the Security Council soon "is consistent with previous decisions made by the Security Council members, including the United States."

"The Security Council had repeatedly demanded Israel as an occupying power to halt settlement activities in the territories occupied by Israel in 1967, including east Jerusalem," said Abed Rabbo, in the aftermath of a PLO executive meeting chaired by President Mahmoud Abbas.

The direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians were suspended in early October, just one month after it was resumed in Washington. The suspension was made after Israel refused to extend a 10-month moratorium over settlement freeze, which ended on September 26.

"The executive committee decided in its meeting today to keep working and coordinating with Arab and international groups to issue a Security Council resolution that condemns Jewish settlement building in east Jerusalem and the entire occupied Palestinian territories," said Abed Rabbo.

He expressed the Palestinians appreciation to the majority of 120 states that adopted the draft bill that had been presented to the Security Council.

The PLO executive committee renewed its reiteration that the peace talks with Israel "would never be resumed until the latter completely halts settlement construction, mainly in Jerusalem, and abide by the peace process references, which defined the borders of 1967 as the borders of the Palestinian state."