Egypt supports Palestinian demand for settlement freeze

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said Sunday that Egypt "understands" the Palestinian refusal to resume talks with Israel before freezing settlement activities on occupied territories.

Abul Gheit made the remarks in a news conference after talks held in Cairo between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah II.

Earlier on Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Israel and the Palestinians to immediately revive stalled peace talks.

The U.S. administration had previously demanded Israel to halt all settlement building before negotiations could resume. But speaking at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Clinton said there has never been such a precondition.

Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday his meeting with Clinton failed to bridge gaps between the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and Israel to re-launch the long-stalled peace talks.

The resumption of peace talks with Israel is not possible unless a complete freeze on Israeli settlements is put in place, said Abbas.

"It is not reasonable or acceptable to start negotiations with the continuation of settlements," said Abul Gheit.

The United States must provide "guarantees about issues of settlements, East Jerusalem and the peace efforts in general," Abul Gheit added.

Source: Xinhua