UN envoy welcomes Palestinian unity talks

The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov yesterday welcomed the ongoing Palestinian unity talks hosted by Qatar.

“The United Nations supports all efforts undertaken to advance genuine Palestinian reconciliation on the basis of non-violence, democracy and PLO principles,” Mladenov said in a statement.

“The formation of a national unity government that abides by the PLO programme and the conduct of long-overdue elections are important elements of this process,” Mladenov said.

He urged all sides to follow up on these discussions in good faith and implement previous agreements, in particular those brokered by Egypt.

“The Palestinian people, particularly in Gaza, have suffered enough. They deserve to see the West Bank and Gaza reunited under a single, democratic and legitimate Palestinian authority. This is an essential step towards lifting the closures, ending the occupation and achieving a negotiated and lasting resolution of the conflict that allows for two states – Israel and Palestine – to live side by side in peace, security and mutual recognition,” he added.

Fatah and Hamas signed a reconciliation agreement that revived the Palestinians hopes to end the internal division in April 2014. However, the agreement was not adhered to.