Paris Middle East Conference Postponed

France will postpone the planned Middle East peace conference, which was supposed to be held in Paris in January next year, Reuters reports, Patria conveys.

France continues to persuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly rejected the invitation to participate in the conference to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The goal of the conference is to revive peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine.

Radio „Voice of Palestine“ quoted the Palestinian ambassador to France, Salman El Herfi, as saying that Paris informed the Palestinians about the postponement of the conference „in order to prepare better“.

The radio further states that Herfi will meet with French officials on Wednesday to discuss organizational issues, and quotes his statement that the international conference will be held even if Israel refuses to participate.

France is continuously trying to revive the peace process; in June, a preliminary conference was held where the UN, EU, US, and some Arab countries discussed proposals without the presence of Israelis and Palestinians.

A follow-up conference was planned before Christmas with both sides to see if there were prospects for returning to the negotiating table.

The ultimate goal of the conference is to reach an agreement on a joint declaration that would affirm a two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders, in accordance with Security Council resolutions, diplomats explained.