No role for US in Mideast peace: Abbas

President Mahmoud Abbas says Palestinians won't accept any US role in the Mideast peace process.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says there is no role for the US in an Israeli-Palestinian peace process following Washington's move to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Abbas spoke at a gathering of heads of state and top officials from Islamic nations at a summit in Turkey that is expected to forge a unified Muslim world's stance against Trump's move.

Abbas called Trump's decision a "crime" that threatened world peace.

He called on the United Nations to take charge of the peace process and create a new mechanism, arguing that Washington is no longer "fit" for the task.

Abbas also said Palestinians are committed to a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but after Trump's December 6 pivot on Jerusalem, Washington is not accepted as a fair negotiator.

The Istanbul gathering of heads of state and top officials from the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation could offer the Muslim world's strongest response yet to Washington's move.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan- the current president of the OIC - called on countries to urgently recognise the Palestinian state and Jerusalem as its capital.

Erdogan has been among the most vocal critics of Trump's announcement. In remarks to the summit, he said Israel is an "occupying state" and a "terror state."


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2 min read
Published 13 December 2017 9:48pm
Source: AAP


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