[Monday July 15 2013] A Palestinian official told the France Press News Agency that President Mahmoud Abbas plans to meet U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, this coming Wednesday in Amman – Jordan.Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said that Kerry would be touring in the Middle East to meet Arab League Secretary-General, Nabil Al-Arabi, President Abbas, and a number of Arab Foreign Ministers.
Kerry also intends to head to occupied Jerusalem for a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Palestinian official said that the Palestinian Authority, and Arab countries, “plan to sit with Kerry and see if he carries any new initiatives or ideas”.
Kerry visited the region in last month and held talks with Israeli, Palestinian and Arab officials, but could not jumpstart direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
“Kerry repeatedly said that the United States is committed to the establishment of an independent Palestinian State in the occupied territories”, the official said, “But he was never able to convince Israel to recognize the Palestinian right to establish an independent state in the territories Israel occupied in 1967, including occupied East Jerusalem”.
He added that the Palestinian Authority is not placing preconditions, but is outlining the legitimate Palestinian rights of an independent Palestinian State, with East Jerusalem as its capital, the release of the detainees, especially those held before the First Oslo Agreement, the Right of Return of the Palestinian refugees, and halting all settlement activities.
Kerry and Abbas will possibly hold more than one meeting during the upcoming visit.
