Palestinian PM Fayyad says the time 'not ripe' for talks

[Gerald]

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has said that the time is not ripe for resuming "meaningful" talks with Israel.He said the problem was not a lack of talks but the absence of the right "terms of reference" for a peace deal.The Quartet of Middle East negotiators - the UN, EU, US and Russia - had called for direct talks to take place later this month. They will hold separate talks with the two sides next week."Our own assessment is that the conditions are not ripe at this juncture for a meaningful resumption of talks," Mr Fayyad told a dinner hosted by the American Task Force on Palestine, a pro-Palestinian lobby group.Mr Fayyad's comments came a day after a prisoner swap in which Hamas - which governs the Gaza Strip - freed Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit after five years of captivity in return for the freedom of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.They also came nearly a month after the Palestinian Authority launched a bid for full UN membership, a move opposed by Israel and the US.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15382450

Note: 20 October 2011 Last updated at 08:56 GMT