The Hindu : International : Brown tells Israel to dismantle settlements

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Brown tells Israel to dismantle settlements

Hasan Suroor

LONDON: In a sharply-worded message to Israel, Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Monday said its illegal settlements on the Palestinian territories were a main obstacle to the peace process and called for their immediate removal.

Speaking after meeting his Palestinian counterpart Salam Fayyed at Downing Street, Mr. Brown said it had been Britain's consistent position that Israel must dismantle these settlements.

One of the blockages to that [peace] is clearly the settlement issue. …We have consistently said - and I have said this to successive Israeli Prime Ministers and Presidents when I've met them - we've consistently seen that as a barrier to reaching the agreement that everybody thinks is possible. And I hope in the talks in the next few weeks and months this will be recognised as a barrier that’s got to be overcome,” he said.

His remarks came ahead of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Tuesday as part of the British Government’s bid to revive the West Asia peace process.

Mr. Brown said he had made it absolutely clear’’ to the Israeli authorities that they should freeze settlements and withdraw from Palestinian territories. A future Palestinian state should be based on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as the capital of both Israel and Palestine, he said.

Mr. Brown said establishing a viable Palestinian state with a stable economy and a flourishing private sector was a crucial part’’ of the peace process. Referring to investment talks that Mr. Fayyad was scheduled to hold with British investors he said they would promote Palestinian economic development.

Mr. Fayyad spoke at length about his government’s efforts to mend the rift with Hamas. He said the Palestinian Authority was making all efforts’’ to the resume the dialogue’’ with Hamas. He said it was important to reach an agreement on forming a government that would run both the West Bank and Gaza.

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