Abbas: Palestinians ready to negotiate

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says he's "ready to restart negotiations right away" if Israel agrees to stop building settlements in the West Bank, but added that the Jewish state "appears determined to continue its colonization." Abbas says there have been 2,600 calls for tender for construction of new settlements in the occupied territory over the past two weeks. He says "that shows that (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu doesn't want peace." Abbas was speaking Friday in Paris, where he was meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, according to AP. Abbas said Israel's recognition of the 1967 borders and an agreement on the principle of a two-state solution were also prerequisites for any Palestinian return to the negotiating table.