Krishna said settlement activities have also exacerbated Krishna said settlement activities have also exacerbated the humanitarian problems of the Palestinian people with increasing violence and aggravation of tension between the settlers and the Palestinian population. "We, therefore, reiterate our call to Israel to stop all settlement activities," he said. Krishna said the political upheavals in the Middle East and North Africa and some other factors "have unfortunately pushed the Middle East Peace Process to the background". "We support the revival of the Peace Process. We had welcomed the 'direct talks' between the Israelis and the Palestinians. However, informal talks over the last two years have not resulted so far in any substantive progress towards resumption of direct talks," Krishna said. "In line with their commitment to democratic values and principles, reconciliation in Palestine is welcome. We hope that these efforts will bear fruit soon, leading to the formation of a Unity Government, holding of elections, re-unification of Palestinian state institutions and measures for reconstruction and development of Palestinian society," Krishna added. He hoped that the NAM meeting on Palestine will send a strong signal to all concerned and will lead to revival of the peace process to achieve a just, comprehensive and durable peace in the Middle East. PTI SAP ASK AKJ ASK
