Abbas confirms Palestinian vote to be postponed

[oberliner]

RAMALLAH, West Bank, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said presidential and legislative elections scheduled for January will be postponed, confirming that he has accepted advice not to hold the vote.

Abbas, speaking to BBC Arabic, said the Palestinian leadership would take measures to avoid a constitutional vacuum -- although he did not spell these out -- when the term of the current legislature and his term as president expire on Jan. 25.

Abbas also said he would not seek a second term as president. He had previously said he had no desire to run in the elections which had been scheduled for Jan. 24.

His announcement reflected frustration with the stalled peace process and what the Palestinians see as the failure of the United States to put pressure on Israel to halt settlement activity on land occupied in the 1967 Middle East war.

Abbas reiterated his demand for a halt to Israeli settlement before any resumption of talks. "I said that the Israeli government does not want peace. The American government has not done enough for the sake of peace," he added.


http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSLK402871