Visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stressed on Wednesday that the Palestinian National Authority will not enter into dialogue with the Israeli government if the latter does not stop settlements construction on the Palestinian territories.
Abbas said at a joint press conference with his Sudanese counterpart Omer al-Bashir in Khartoum that "there must be negotiations with the Israeli side but the negotiations will not come before Israel stops its settlement activities."
He expressed his appreciation for Sudan's position supporting the Palestinian cause, adding that "Sudan has played and will continue to play a role to support the Palestinian reconciliation, and Sudan is playing this role wholeheartedly."
The Palestinian leader disclosed that he had discussed with the Sudanese president a number of pressing issues, saying that "it is important at the present time to have talks with the Sudanese leadership about the different issues, the first of which is the outcomes of the Fatah conference and the inter-Palestinian dialogue, which the Sudanese president has paid a great attention and followed up and made excellent efforts to bridge the gap of the Palestinian people."
"There are many challenges facing the Palestinian National Authority," Abbas said, adding that "the most notably challenges following the Fatah conference is the appointment of members of the Executive Committee, the national dialogue which will resume in Cairo, and then the Palestinian elections that must be held before Jan. 24 next year."
Sudanese official sources said that the talks between al-Bashir and Abbas in the Presidential Guest House in Khartoum dealt with a number of issues, in the forefront of which was the outcomes of the sixth conference of Fatah movement and as well as the latest development regarding the inter-Palestinian dialogue and political negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.
The Palestinian leader arrived on Wednesday afternoon for a two- day visit, which is the first visit for Abbas since he was elected to the Palestinian presidency.