'Israel's aggressive policies threaten peace talks'

PA president tours Gulf to "exchange views with brotherly leaders;" expresses hope for next week's talks between Fatah and Hamas.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
311_Abbas winking (photo credit: Associated Press)
311_Abbas winking
(photo credit: Associated Press)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Kuwait on Wednesday, following a visit to Bahrain earlier in the week as part of a tour of the Gulf region to "exchange views with brotherly leaders and the region on the latest developments of the Palestinian question," Kuwait News Agency reported.
According to the report, Abbas praised Kuwaiti support for the Palestinian people, saying  "Kuwaiti-Palestinian relations are historical and excellent. It is a great honor for us that the Fatah movement was launched in Kuwait."
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The PA president met with Kuwaiti leaders to discuss the stalled Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations as well as inter-Palestinian talks, which are expected to resume next week.
Abbas has said that his government will hold reconciliation talks with Hamas in Damascus on November 9. Among the biggest sticking points between the sides is the merging of security forces and hammering out a joint political program, including peace with Israel.
During his meetings, Abbas reportedly said that "the aggressive policies and unilateral moves of the Israeli occupation authorities put in peril the success prospects of the US-conceived road map," and reiterated his refusal to return to the negotiating table unless settlement construction is halted again.
Following another meeting earlier in the week, Bahrain King Hamad Bin Issa Al-Khalifa on Wednesday pledged his nation's continued support for the Palestinian people. Bahrain News Agency reported that the king had expressed a hope for peace among the Palestinians as well as the establishment of an independent Palestinian state "with Jerusalem as its capital."
AP contributed to this report.