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Abbas signs international conventions; Kerry cancels visit

2014-04-02 40 Dailymotion

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed more than a dozen international conventions on Tuesday, citing anger at Israel's delay of a prisoner release.<br/> <br />...A move that further jeopardizes peace talks.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT, MAHMOUD ABBAS, SAYING:<br/> <br />"The leadership agreed totally on signing a number of the (international) agreements or organizations or conventions, which are around 12 conventions, and now I will sign them."<br/> <br />U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry immediately announced that he was cancelling a trip to the region on Wednesday.<br/> <br />...A trip that Washington had hoped would result in a three-way deal aimed at extending the negotiations into 2015.<br/> <br />But Kerry insisted Abbas had agreed to keep his promise to continue negotiating:<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY, SAYING:<br/> <br />"Let me make it absolutely clear, none of the agencies that President Abbas signed tonight involve the U.N. -none of them. And P

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