Palestinian president affirms commitment to negotiations with Israel

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reaffirmed Saturday commitment to the a timeframe for negotiations with the Israelis, which resumed on June 30th this year. Abbas also expressed appreciation to the Jordanian support of the Palestinian side, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement after meeting between Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh and the Palestinian leader. Judeh also reiterated support of the Jordanian leadership and government for the Palestinians in the negotiation process with the Israelis on various final status issues. The minister also affirmed that Jordan has thrown its weight behind any effort to reach a two-state solution that would guarantee the establishment of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Further, Judeh and Abbas discussed the latest developments on the negotiations track. Last Thursday, Judeh received Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat and listened to a briefing about the progress of the negotiations on various issues following several rounds of talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis