Violence in Palestine expected due to impasse - France

PARIS, Oct 9 (KUNA) -- France said on Friday that the outbreak of worsening violence in Palestine was to be expected because of the impasse in the peace process and the failure to move the parties back towards negotiations.
"We anticipated the violence that is unfortunately taking place and the risks of a conflagration," Foreign Ministry spokesman Romain Nadal said in a briefing.
He recalled that France had arrived at "an analysis of the failure" of US-led efforts to get the peace process back on track and Foreign Ministry Laurent Fabius had tried in vain to set up a new process with the support of the broader international community, the UN Security Council, the European Union and the Arab countries.
Those efforts were stonewalled by Israel during a visit last June to the region by Fabius and the French proposal did not receive strong support from the US in the UN Security Council, largely due to Israeli pressure.
Nonetheless, France did get approval for an expanded Contact Group to try to get progress and bring the parties back to some form of negotiation. The Quartet, composed of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the UN, made little headway with the bitter conflict.
The "International Support Group", set up with French pressure, met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September.
"It is absolutely indispensable that the international community mobilise to re-start the peace process...if we are to avoid a conflagration in the Middle East between Israelis and Palestinians," the French spokesman warned. (end) jk.ajs