Abbas says willing to extend peace talks past April 29
PA president appeals to Arab League to continue financial assistance, support him in refusing to recognize Jewish state.
By YASSER OKBIPalestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.(photo credit: REUTERS)
The president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, expressed on Thursday his willingness to extend peace talks with Israel past the end of April on "the basis that the fundamentals bring to the founding of a Palestinian state whose capital is east Jerusalem."In an interview with the London based newspaper Asharq al-Awsat, Abbas said that his application to join 15 international bodies and treaties was in the interest of the Palestinian people and had nothing to do with Israel.Abbas added that he updated the Arab league foreign ministers about recent developments in the peace talks on Wednesday in Cairo.In the meeting with the foreign ministers, Abbas also laid out how he envisioned how the negotiations with Israel should continue.Abbas appealed to the Arab League to fulfill it's promise, initially made during the Arab League Summit in Kuwait, to provide financial assistance to the PA totaling $150 million monthly. The PA president also urged the leaders to continue to support him in refusing the recognize Israel as a Jewish state.The Arab League foreign ministers agreed to support the peace talks past their April 29 deadline and called upon Israel to release the fourth round of prisoners.
