Peres Holding Secret Talks with Erakat to Resume Talks: Report

Local Editor

Israeli President Shimon Peres has been holding intensive talks with Palestinian Authority in bid to resume talks between the two sides. Israeli daily, Haaretz, reported the meetings have being held in complete coordination with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and head off a unilateral Palestinian statehood bid at the UN in September. The daily added that on Tuesday night, Peres held a long meeting with the chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat. The two went over maps of the West Bank and East Al-Quds in an effort to find a “formula” that would bypass the dispute over establishing the June 4, 1967 border as a basis for negotiations toward a final settlement between Israel and the Palestinians. “One option explored was the exchange of territory, and other was to compensate the Palestinians for settlement blocs annexed into Israel, on the basis of the U.S. proposal that the area of a Palestinian state be equal to the territory of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip”, Haaretz reported. As a senior Palestinian source in Ramallah confirmed that Erekat met a number of times with Peres, including this week, Peres’ and Netanyahu’s refused to comment on the report.

Source: Israeli Media 29-07-2011 - 13:57 | 94 View

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