BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinians will continue to carry out armed resistance while seeking peaceful means to resolve the Arab-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli conflicts, the Palestinian ambassador to China has said.
The Palestinian Fatah movement reiterated such a stance at its Sixth General Conference held in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Aug. 4-13, Diab Allouh, who returned to China after attending the meeting, told Xinhua in an interview.
"We agreed at the Conference that Israel must firstly stop all forms of settlement activities, implement the two-state solution and Land for Peace principle, and resume peace talks in line with UN resolutions so as to achieve peace in the Middle East," Allouh said.
The Conference sent a clear message that Fatah is willing to resume peace talks with Israel, he said, adding that there should be a specific timetable.
The United States is committed to promoting peace talks between the Palestinians and the Israelies, he said, adding that the key is how to translate promise into actions.
Allouh said if Israel makes positive responses to the initiative of the U.S. Obama administration, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama would likely meet at the new session of the UN General Assembly in September.
Seventy-five percent of the members of the newly elected central committee and revolutionary committee of Fatah are middle aged and younger people, which reflects Fatah's wish to make some changes in the new era, he said.
But this does not mean that Fatah will change its principle and goal, he noted.
"Resistance and peace are still the tenet that the (Palestinian) new leadership will adhere to," he added.
Regarding the preparation work for establishing a Palestinian state, Allouh said the Palestinian authorities plan to complete airport and railway construction in two years.
He said the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital is unarguable.
This issue must be solved. "Otherwise Arab and Israel will not achieve peace, and the Middle East has no way to gain stability," the ambassador added.
Noting that Fatah and Hamas, two Palestinian factions, hold different views on such issues as political prisoners, coalition government and Fatah reform, Allouh said Fatah agrees to end the two-year divided situation so as to achieve a comprehensive reconciliation among the Palestinian people.
"As long as each side maintains good will and gives priority to Palestinians' interest, we can patch up the differences and achieve reconciliation," he said.
Special Report: Palestine-Israel Conflicts