French prez meets Abbas, stresses fragility of Mideast

Published July 21, 2016

President Francois Hollande has stressed the "fragility" of the Mideast situation with mounting violence in a meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

In the meeting Thursday evening, the French president said that "recreating a political perspective is urgent," a statement from Hollande's office said.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is to meet with Abbas on Friday in Paris.

The French statement noted the report this month by the Quartet of Mideast negotiators — the U.N., U.S., European Union and Russia — that said Israel's settlement expansion is eroding the viability of a Palestinian state and raises "legitimate questions" about its commitment to a two-state solution. It calls on Palestinians to "act decisively" to stop incitement to violence.

The French statement noted France's wish for an international conference.

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