26 March 2018•Update: 26 March 2018
By Qais Abu Samra
RAMALLAH
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday met with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
At the meeting, Abbas voiced his readiness to cooperate with Germany with a view to resuming stalled Palestine-Israel peace talks, according to Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki.
“Abbas briefed the German FM on the implications of [U.S. President Donald] Trump’s recent decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital,” al-Maliki said at a joint press conference with his German counterpart after the latter’s meeting with Abbas.
Last December, Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, sparking widespread condemnation and protest across the Arab and Muslim world.
Al-Maliki also reiterated calls for an international conference on the Mideast peace process, which, he said, should no longer be considered the exclusive preserve of Washington.
“We are counting on Germany, the EU and the Quartet [the latter of which consists of the U.S., Russia the EU and the UN] to provide an appropriate atmosphere for the resumption of peace talks,” al-Maliki said.
Maas, for his part, reiterated his country's support for a “two-state solution” to the decades-long dispute.
“But it’s difficult to advance the peace process in the absence of the U.S.,” he said.
Maas arrived in Ramallah earlier Monday after visiting Israel where he held talks with Israeli officials.
