Abbas: There will be no new uprising
Palestinian president visits Tunisia ahead of several European stops, says another armed uprising against Israel 'unlikely'
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday that he is opposed to another armed uprising against Israel, even if faltering peace efforts fail altogether.
Abbas told reporters in Tunisia that he remains committed to a US-backed target of reaching a negotiated peace agreement with Israel by September.
But with talks stalled for months, he repeated his plan to unilaterally seek United Nations endorsement of Palestinian independence in September in the absence of a deal.
A UN vote would be largely symbolic, and it remains unclear what the Palestinians will do after that.
Abbas said whatever happens, he "will not accept" a third armed uprising. He noted last decade's uprising against Israel was "disastrous" for the Palestinians.
Abbas heads to Paris next, where he seek advice and support from European leaders on the potential creation of a Palestinian state this year.
The Palestinian leader's trip to France is part of a diplomatic swing that has already taken him in recent weeks to Britain, Denmark and Russia, and will be followed in May with a visit to Germany.
Mahmoud Abbas (L) and Tunisian interim President Foued Mebazaa (Photo: AFP)
The trip comes with talks between Israel and the Palestinians still in deep freeze, and with the Palestinians pledging to seek United Nations recognition for a unilateral declaration of statehood.
Abbas said recently that he would be asking his French counterpart President Nicolas Sarkozy "for his advice" on the best approach to seeking recognition for an independent Palestinian state.
"We are friends, so he can be sincere with us and to talk to us openly," he said.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday that Paris believes the Palestinians are "more ready than ever to establish a state and manage it in a credible and peaceful."
While in Paris, Abbas will also meet with Prime Minister Francois Fillon.
Christine Fages, deputy spokeswoman for the ministry, said that the Palestinian president's visit "will provide an opportunity to discuss possible arrangements for a resumption of peace process in the Middle East, as well as prospects for the next donor conference for the State of Palestine, which France wants to organize in June.
"France, along with the entire international community, wants to continue its policy of active support for the establishment of state institutions."
Elior Levy and AFP contributed to this report
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