Abbas Calls for End to Settlements
The New York Times reports:
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas vowed on Saturday to do everything possible to make peace negotiations with Israel succeed and avoided any direct threats to break off the talks over settlements.
In a speech to the U.N. General Assembly, Abbas said the Palestinians would "exert every sincere effort" to reach a peace agreement with Israel within a year.
He did not refer to Sunday's expiry of an Israeli freeze on new settlement construction in the West Bank. But he made clear that Israel would have to cease all settlement activities if the direct negotiations with Israel were to succeed.
"Israel must choose between peace and the continuation of settlements," he said.
Abbas has threatened repeatedly to break off the fragile negotiations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the settlements. The U.S.-supervised talks are aimed at reaching a peace agreement within a year.
Netanyahu, whose rightist coalition government includes pro-settler parties, has so far deflected U.S. President Barack Obama's pleas to extend the freeze. He has also said renewed construction in the settlements might be on a reduced scale.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Abbas on Friday in New York to persuade the Palestinians to remain in the talks.
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