Abbas: peace talks to be resumes if U.S. exerts pressure on Israel

RAMALLAH, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas hinted on Monday that there is a possibility to resume the peace negotiations with Israel, if the U.S. administration exerts pressure on Israel to halt settlement activities.

Abbas made the remarks in a first interview aired on al-Felastineya, a new Fatah movement satellite channel based in Amman. The channel was recently inaugurated and is directed by Palestinian ambassador to Cairo Nabil Amer.

"There is a possibility to resume the stalled peace negotiations (with Israel) if the American administration presses on Israel to halt settlement activities and accept the two-state vision solution," Abbas told the new Fatah satellite channel.

Abbas reiterated that he was ready to discuss "with open mind all the negotiable issues according to the international resolutions (related to resolving the Palestinian cause)."

The peace negotiations with Israel had stopped last year after Israel decided to enlarge Israeli settlements in the West Bank and carried out a series of military offensives on the blockaded Gaza Strip ruled by Hamas movement.

Asked about his Fatah movement's general assembly, due to be held on August 4 in Bethlehem in the West Bank, Abbas said "the general assembly's members can practice democracy to choose their movement's leaders."