RAMALLAH, January 28, 2007, (WAFA)-Secretary General of Palestinian National Initiative, Dr. Mustaffa al-Barghouthi called Sunday for convening an international peace conference tackling the Palestinian cause.

During a meeting with United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Alvaro de Soto, Barghouthi briefed de Soto on the dangers of the continued Israeli siege imposed on the Palestinian Territory and its affects on health and education sectors.

He added that there should be no talks on peace at the time Israel continues its colonisations and constructing the Apartheid Wall which swallows half of the Palestinian lands in the West Bank and isolates Jerusalem city, as an Israeli attempt to kill the idea of establishing an independent Palestinian state and replaces it with a state of temporary border.

For his part, de Soto expressed deep concern over the escalating factional violence in the Gaza Strip.

M.H.(13:23 P)(11:23GMT)