RAMALLAH, September 13, 2011 (WAFA) - Fatah Central Committee member, Mohammad Shtayeh, Tuesday said that the international quartet informed the Palestinian side of its intention to submit a peace proposal that would allow resumption of negotiations with Israel and avert conflict over the Palestinian bid to ask for United Nation membership.

He said in a press conference in Ramallah that the quartet, which includes the United States, the European Union, Russia and the UN, is in the process of submitting a statement on the conflict that will come sometime this week.

Shtayeh, who is also member of the Palestinian negotiating team, said the Palestinian leadership would welcome such a statement if it called on Israel to stop settlements and adopt clear terms for reference to the negotiations and as long as Israel accepts its terms.

He said this statement would not stop the Palestinians from going to the UN, but would allow resumption of negotiations after returning from the UN.

Shtayeh said that President Mahmoud Abbas will submit the Palestinian application for statehood to Ban Ki-moon, secretary-general of the United Nations, two days before he delivers a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York scheduled for the 23rd of this month.

Abbas will ask the UN member states in his speech to support the Palestinians’ UN statehood bid, he said.

He also said the application would include clear reference to the refugees, which will demand implementation of UN resolution 194 of 1948 that talks about right of refugees for return and compensation. “Without resolving the refugees issue, there will not be peace,” said Shtayeh.

He said reconciliation talks with Hamas have not stopped, but that they will resume in full force after the Palestinian officials return from the UN.

T.R./M.S.