RAMALLAH, January 21, 2014 (WAFA) – President Mahmoud Abbas discussed Tuesday with his Romanian counterpart Traian Basescu the latest in the peace process with Israel.

Abbas stressed in a press conference with Basescu his commitment toward advancing peace with Israel based on the two-state solution.

He said the goal of the current talks with Israel is to reach a final settlement that could bring stability and peace to the region through establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as a capital.

He stressed that the negotiations, which started at the end of July, will not be extended beyond the nine months set for them when they were re-launched.

“We have to concentrate the talks for the time left,” he said.

When asked about the reconciliation efforts with Hamas, Abbas noted that Egypt is the party entitled to oversee these talks, adding that Hamas is part of the Palestinian people and is required to abide by the agreements it concluded with the Palestinian Authority regarding the formation of a national unity government and setting a date for presidential and legislative elections.

Basescu said that Romania supports the US-led peace initiative despite of the challenges facing both parties, including the borders, refugees, Jerusalem and others.

“These issues cannot be solved without a compromise; that is having two states that live in coexistence beside each other,” he said.

However, he insisted that a real peace would not be viable unless the security of Israel and Palestine is guaranteed.

M.N./M.S.