U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday admitted that expanding Israeli settlements in West Bank affect on confidence atmosphere between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).
Rice was speaking in a joint news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah following a meeting.
Rice told the reporters that they discussed the issue of the settlements, she added that the construction of the settlements weaken the confidence in the negotiations between the two sides.
For his part, Abbas urged Israel to carry out the first phase of the Road Map plan since it was the reference of the Israeli- Palestinian peace talks which resumed following a U.S. initiative in November.
The first phase, according to Abbas, is stopping the constructions of the Israeli settlements in West Bank, reopening the PNA institutions in Jerusalem and ending all the measures that Israel took after the eruption of the second Palestinian Intifada (Uprising) in 2000.
Earlier last month, Israel revealed plans to build and expand 100 homes in two West Bank settlements, violating the U.S.-backed Road Map peace plan which is considered reference of the Israeli- Palestinian peace talks.
Meanwhile, the two top officials also talked about easing the life of the Palestinians in the Abbas' Fatah-dominated West Bank by lifting the Israeli checkpoints and restoring order by allowing the deployment of pro-Abbas forces in the West Bank towns.
Asked if she received Israeli promise to remove some of the roadblocks, Rice said she spent so much time in this issue, calling to consider Israel's security. She also linked between lifting the roadblocks and the improvement of the Palestinian security forces' performance.
