Abbas to hold bilateral talks in Paris 'in coming weeks'

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas will visit Paris "in the coming weeks" for bilateral talks, an official at the French president's office said on Thursday.

The announcement came after Abbas spoke by telephone with President Francois Hollande ahead of an international Middle East peace conference to be hosted by Paris on Sunday.

The conference to be attended by some 70 nations is aimed at exploring ways to restart long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

Abbas has not confirmed his attendance but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday dismissed the conference as "rigged", and his government has refused to play any role in the meeting.

Netanyahu has said instead that he is willing to hold bilateral talks.

Hollande stressed that the Paris conference would be an occasion "for the international community to underscore its interest in a two-state solution and the need for direct dialogue between the two sides", the president's office source said.

The Palestinians have welcomed the multilateral approach, saying years of negotiations have failed to end Israel's occupation of the West Bank.

Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts have been at a standstill since a US-led initiative collapsed in April 2014.

The conference comes on the heels of a landmark UN Security Council resolution passed on December 23 calling for a halt to Israeli settlement building in Palestinian territory.

In a rare move, the United States declined to use its veto and abstained, allowing the measure to pass 14-0.

Israel fears Sunday's conference will produce measures that could then be taken to the Security Council and approved before January 20 -- when Donald Trump takes over as US president.