The international community's support for the peace process is meaningless so long as there is no real pressure on Israel to halt settlement expansion in the West Bank, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad told visiting European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana on Friday.

During his meeting with Solana in Ramallah, Fayyad said Israel's continued building in the settlements is a blatant violation of international law, according to Israel Radio.

Solana also met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who updated him on the status of peace negotiations with Israel. The Palestinian leader reiterated his opposition to any partial agreement or interim deal with Israel, Israel Radio reported.
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Any future agreement must include resolutions to the core issues of the conflict, including the status of Jerusalem, the future borders, and the right of return for Palestinian refugees, Abbas told Solana.

Israel Radio reported that Abbas conferred by telephone with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday. The Palestinian leader is due in Washington for a meeting with President Bush later this month.

Solana: Israel, PA fumbled peace talks after Annapolis
Solana on Friday issued a harsh criticism of the management of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians since the Annapolis Conference, saying that from the beginning the talks were carried out far too slowly.

In an interview with Haaretz after his arrival Friday for a tour of Israel and the Palestinian territories, Solana expressed doubts over whether a deal could be completed by the end of the year, saying that the longer the sides wait to go forward with talks, the less they are likely to succeed.

"Because time is shorter, it will more difficult to do," Solana said in regard to the talks, adding "I think we have to maintain the momentum."

Solana also expressed his hope that peace talks would go forward regardless, saying that in 2009 "it will be much more complicated to do.