NO CHANGE IN AUSTRALIA’S POSITION ON PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

Ramallah, 22 Sha’ban 1435/20 June 2014 (MINA) – Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop ascertained Thursday that her country has not changed its position on the legal status of the Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.

Australian Representative to Palestine Tom Wilson delivered a letter to Palestinian Deputy Foreign Minister Tayseer Jaradat at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Ramallah ascertaining this position, WAFA News Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The letter is meant to provide official clarification of Australia’s position on the remarks that were made recently by Australian Attorney General George Brandeis that his country would no longer describe East Jerusalem as ‘occupied’.

The letter ascertained that Australia’s position on the legal status of the Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, remains consistent with the relevant UN resolutions and that Australia remains committed to the two-state solution, underscoring the importance of negotiations to reach a just agreement that would be conducive to the establishment of a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in security, prosperity and peace.

Jaradat thanked Wilson and underscored the need for the Australian government to take a more balanced position on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, stressing the importance of the Australian-Palestinian relations.(T/P02/E01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)