Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations

    RAMALLAH, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Sunday that Palestinian negotiators would arrive on Wednesday in Washington for peace talks with their Israeli counterparts.

    Erekat told "Voice of Palestine" radio that a bilateral meeting will be held between the Palestinian negotiators and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice first in Washington.

    "Right after this meeting, a three-way meeting will be held, which the Israeli and Palestinian negotiators as well as U.S. officials would participate in to discuss the path of the peace negotiations," said Erekat.

    After the Annapolis peace conference held in the United States last November, Israel and the Palestinians agreed to resume talks on permanent status issues. However, no tangible progress has been achieved so far.

    "Following the session of peace talks, which will be held in Washington, the Palestinian leadership would make several decisions on several issues related to the talks with Israel," said Erekat.

    He added that the Palestinian leadership held a meeting this week and studied all the possibilities related to the peace talks as Israel decided to build a new settlement in the West Bank.

    Erekat warned that the settlements' expansion in the West Bank and east Jerusalem "would undermine the peace process and destroy its credibility," adding "we are holding contacts with all parties hoping that Israel would be committed to stopping all these activities."