Abbas says statehood

During a visit to Spain, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he planned to return to the negotiating table and reach a solution with Israel. Currently touring some European countries to drum up support for the unilateral declaration of statehood at the United Nations in September Abbas said whatever the result of the vote, he intends t resume talks with Israel. The vote at the UN will not affect the peace process he said. The Palestinian president's statements came days after Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu granted his first interview to the Dubai based al-Arabiya network where he said he is willing to meet Abbas in Jerusalem or Ramallah to resume talks.