France accuses Israel of not wanting peace

St Petersburg News.Net
Tuesday 10th November, 2009

The French government has expressed fears that Israel no longer appears to want to pursue peace negotiations in the Middle East.

In an interview on French radio, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said he did not see there would be a breakthrough in peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

He claimed that, even though Israel had once had a great peace movement, it seemed that the desire had completely vanished, "as though people no longer believe in it."

Mr Kouchner said that France remained completely opposed to settlement construction in the West Bank.

He said that while the Obama administration had lately relieved its insistence that Israeli settlements in the West Bank should stop, France remained totally opposed to the issue of the settlements.

During the interview, the French foreign minister urged President Mahmoud Abbas to reverse his decision to step down.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to meet with French President Nicholas Sarkozy on Wednesday.

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