Abbas calls on int'l community for new peace talks plan

During visit to Brazil, PA president says current process is "managing the conflict, not solving it."; Abbas sets cornerstone for Brasilia 'embassy.'

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Abbas 521 (photo credit: Associated Press)
Abbas 521
(photo credit: Associated Press)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called on the international community Friday to draft a new formula for peace talks with Israel and set aside the current process that he said is "managing the conflict but not solving it."
Abbas said in remarks broadcast Friday in the West Bank that the international community should step in to devise a new vision for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
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Abbas said the international community needs to "formulate a peace plan that is consistent with the international resolutions instead of continuing in a process that is managing the conflict but not solving it." Abbas was referring to resolutions for a two state solution — a Palestinian state next to Israel. He did he not elaborate on what a new formula might entail.
Abbas made his remarks from Brazil, where he set a cornerstone for a Palestinian embassy. The ceremony comes as Brazil, along with several other South American countries, recently recognized the yet-nonexistent state of Palestine.
As part of a new emphasis on winning international support for their cause, the Palestinians have drafted a proposal and are lobbying for a Security Council resolution that would declare West Bank settlements illegal and an "obstacle to peace."
The US has said it doesn't support the move, but it remains unclear if it will veto the measure or abstain should the draft come to a vote. Israel says it is an attempt by the Palestinians to avoid negotiations.
Speaking on Thursday to Palestinian expatriates and Arab ambassadors in Brasilia, Brazil, Abbas said the Palestinian draft used language similar to that used by US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has criticized settlements.
"We drafted it using the same words that Secretary Clinton is using and so we don't see why the US would veto it," Abbas said.