Special report: Mideast peace conference

    RAMALLAH, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian and Israeli crews will launch negotiations on Wednesday despite complexity resulted from an Israeli tender to expand a West Bank settlement, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Monday.

    "The Palestinian side is ready with its negotiation committees to start the negotiation with the Israeli side," Erekat told Voice of Palestine radio.

    However, he stressed that Israel "must select the settlements or the peace," adding that the two options can't be combined together."

    During last month international peace meeting in Annapolis, U.S. President George W. Bush set Dec. 12 as the date to resume the Middle East peace process.

    Following the conference, Israel invited bids for building 300 houses in a disputed settlement in the West Bank though the Road Map, an American-backed peace plan, calls on Israel to freeze the settlement activities immediately.

    "The international community and the countries that participated in Annapolis must say their position regarding the continuation of the Israeli settlements," Erekat added.

    Meanwhile, Erekat revealed that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will visit London on Dec. 18, a day after participating in a funding conference to aid the Palestinian Authority in Paris.