Special report: Mideast peace conference

    RAMALLAH, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Sunday negotiations with Israel will be launched on Dec. 12 as a result of Annapolis peace conference and will be on two tracks.

    On Dec. 12, Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA)will talk about the final status issues, including water, refugees, Jerusalem and the borders of the Palestinian statehood, Erekat told Radio of Israel.

    The second track, according to Erekat, will be the implementation of the U.S.-backed Road Map for peace. "The mutual negotiation teams will follow up the process of putting the Road Map into effect."

    The Road Map calls on Israel to stop building settlements in the West Bank and withdrawing from the occupied Palestinian territories.

    The Palestinians have accomplished democratic reforms as the first phase of the plan stipulates and recently started to impose security in the West Bank in a bid to stop attacks against Israel.

    Annapolis conference was held in Nov. 27 to revive peace process between Israel and the PNA after years of stall. The U.S. call to hold the conference was motivated by fighting in Gaza Strip which ended in June with Hamas defeating forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.