RAMALLAH, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell has assured Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that the U.S. stance regarding the Israeli settlement has not been changed, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Tuesday.

    George Mitchell, who met Abbas Monday evening in Jordan, said "Washington considers the settlement activities illegal and refuses the Israeli attempts to annex East Jerusalem," Erekat told Voice of Palestine radio.

    The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) was upset by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who called Israel and the Palestinians to resume their peace talks without preconditions.

    The PNA wants Israel to stop Jewish settlement in the West Bankand East Jerusalem before resuming the peace talks, the two territories are part of the Palestinian statehood the negotiations seek.

    "The demands for stopping the settlement activities are not conditions, they are Israeli obligations set by the Road Map," Erekat said, referring to the U.S.-backed plan which envisions a Palestinian statehood alongside Israel.

Special Report: Palestine-Israel Conflicts