Israel and the Palestinians should move onto the second stage of the road map peace plan, which stipulates the establishment of a Palestinian state with provisional borders, President Shimon Peres said on Thursday.
Peres made the comments during a meeting with the European Union's chief foreign policy official, Javier Solana, with whom he discussed the latest developments in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
During the session, Peres said that Israel and the Palestinians should agree on the declaration of a Palestinian state with provisional borders, "subject to a clear promise that the border will in a short span of time become permanent borders."
"The road map presents us with a clear outline and the second stage must be implemented," Peres told Solana.
The road map is a U.S.-proposed multi-stage diplomatic plan that was approved by both the Israeli government former prime minister under Ariel Sharon and the Palestinian Authority.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to announce his support for the road map in a major policy speech at Bar-Ilan University on Sunday.
But the premier is not expected to commit to a full freeze on construction in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The Obama administration is pressuring Jerusalem to declare such a freeze, though Netanyahu has thus far balked due to fears it would endanger his ruling coalition.
Peres told Solana that the Israeli government has pledged not to build new settlements and that it has promised to dismantle illegal outposts. The issue of settlement construction to accommodate "natural growth" is an issue that should be negotiated between Israel and the U.S., the president Peres.
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