Palestinians insist own stance in push for peace talks

The U.S. administration is likely to present its plan for a peaceful solution to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict in February, a Palestinian official said Sunday. Riad al-Maliki, the Palestinian minister of foreign affairs, added that Washington raised several points for discussions and has not yet presented any official scheme as it pushes for a deal by spring. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who sponsors peace talks between the two sides since their resumption in July, has forged a security plan for the West Bank, trying to take the security question off the negotiating table. Having reservations on the plan, al-Maliki said the Palestinian leadership "reacted quickly in proactive approach," with President Mahmoud Abbas sending a message to President Obama last week " defining what is acceptable and what is not for the Palestinians." On Saturday, Abbas received Arab support as Arab foreign ministers, who met in Cairo, announced their adoption of the Palestinian position concerning upcoming U.S. proposals. Al-Maliki said that the Arab ministers' meeting was also "a proactive measure." In their final statement, the Arab ministers emphasized that they don't accept less than an independent Palestinian state on all lands that Israel has occupied in 1967 with a capital in East Jerusalem. They also urged the Obama administration to force Israel to stop settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Kerry's security plan envisioned, among others, Israeli presence or indirect control on the borders of their future state, especially in the vital Jordan Valley, for 10 to 15 years. The Palestinians have always stated they don't accept any kind of Israeli military control on their borders with Jordan.