ADIS ABABA, January 30, 2016 (WAFA) – President Mahmoud Abbas Saturday called upon the African Union Summit to push toward an international peace conference to renew the deadlocked Middle East peace process and bring about the two-state solution.
Addressing the 26th session of the African Union Summit (AUS) in Adis Ababa, Ethiopia, Abbas called on the AUS to support efforts aimed at the convention of such a conference in order to bring about the two-state solution. Abbas also called for the formation of an international working group; similar to P5+1 to help solve regional crisis.
During his speech, Abbas stressed the need for the activation of the UN Security Council’s role and welcomed the French Foreign Minister Lauren Fabius’ initiative to convene an international conference to safeguard the two-state solution.
Fabius had announced Friday that his country would recognize a Palestinian state within weeks if the bid to break the deadlock fails.
"In the coming weeks, France will take... steps in order to organise an international conference gathering each of the parties‘ principle partners -- principally Americans, Europeans and Arabs -- in order to preserve and to bring about the two-state solution," Fabius was quoted by AFP as saying.
Fabius made it clear that if “the last-ditch attempt at reaching a negotiated solution hits a stumbling block” fails, his country would unilaterally recognize the Palestinian state.
“In that case, we will have to live up to our responsibilities and recognise a Palestinian state,” he said.
Abbas affirmed that the perpetuation of the current status quo is unacceptable just as the case with ongoing Israeli occupation, settlement construction, seizure and deprivation of exploiting Palestinian natural resources.
Abbas stressed that, ‘We’ won’t return to negotiations just for the sake of negotiating and won’t continue to unilaterally implement previous agreements ]signed with Israel[.
“We won’t accept interim or temporary solutions,” he added.
During his speech, Abbas renewed calls for the international community to provide the Palestinian people with protection and to pass a “binding” UN Security Council’s resolution that would bring the Israeli occupation to an end and ensure that the Palestinian people gain their just and legitimate rights and establish their independent sovereign state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
“The region will not enjoy security and stability unless the Israeli occupation and settlement activities end,” Abbas affirmed.
“We ]the Palestinian people[ will stay here on our land and in our homeland, where we have developed our historical and cultural identity and made humanitarian contributions for thousands of years. “We will not accept any alternative,” he added.
Abbas affirmed his ongoing efforts to restore the unity of ‘our’ land, form a national unity government and hold presidential and parliamentary elections.
He noted that the Palestinian leadership supports African countries’ request for the reformation of United Nations Security Council and to become a permanent member in the council.
The 26th African Union summit was held under the theme: ‘African Year of Human Rights with particular focus on the Rights of Women’.
K.F./T.R.
