RAMALLAH, February 14, 2012 (WAFA) – President Mahmoud Abbas Tuesday reiterated the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) commitment to negotiations that lead to the two-state solution.

During a joint press conference in Ramallah with Croatian President Ivo Josipovic, Abbas said that the negotiations leading to the two-state solution are based on Israel’s commitment to the signed agreements and the cessation of settlement activities in accordance with the International Quartet’s statements and the international terms of reference.

Abbas added that the current deterioration in the peace process is due to the Israeli government’s breaching of signed agreements, its violation of the international legitimacy resolutions, the quartet’s statements and the road map plan, in addition to its insistence on imposing facts on the ground through settlement activities, the separation wall, and the confiscation of land in the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem.

They discussed the latest developments in the peace process, the Quartet’s latest statements issued on September 23, the Amman exploratory meetings, in addition to the decisions reached during the meeting of Arab foreign ministers held in Cairo.

Abbas stressed that the Israeli measures made the two-state solution impossible, which is “unacceptable to us”, pointing that the PA has lost control over most of the land given to it under the Oslo Accord.

“We will not accept the continuation of this situation and we will soon take actions agreed upon with the Arab countries,” he said.

Abbas added they agreed on the importance of developing the bilateral relations between the two countries in all fields, including the intensification of the exchange visits between officials and businessmen.

He also briefed his Croatian counterpart on the latest developments in the internal reconciliation and the PA’s insistence on achieving it.

“We are happy that Croatia is joining the European Union…we welcome its good relations with Israel and do not want any country to be against Israel because when Croatia has good relations with both sides that qualifies it to play its role,” said Abbas.

T.R./F.R.