France summons Israeli ambassador over Jewish settlement

www.chinaview.cn
2009-07-22 05:47:57

PARIS, July 21 (Xinhua) -- France has summoned the Israeli ambassador in Paris to demand a halt of Jewish settlement in east Jerusalem, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Tuesday.

Daniel Shek, the Israeli ambassador in Paris, "has now been summoned to the Foreign Ministry," Kouchner told a news conference. "He will be received this afternoon or tomorrow."

Kouchner stressed that the settlements were against both international and Israeli law, calling for a stop of those activities.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy also reiterated "the need for a complete freeze" of building settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, after a working lunch in Paris with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

According to local media reports, Egyptian President Mubarak alluded to possible regional peace "initiatives." However, he doubted whether talks hosted by Egypt between Palestinian opponent Fatah and the Islamist Hamas would work by the end of next month.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected calls and insisted Jews should be allowed to build homes anywhere they like in Jerusalem.