Abbas: No Mideast peace with me in office

CAIRO, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he doubted a Middle East peace accord would be reached before the end of his term.

Abbas, 74, also denied on Egyptian television that Washington and Jerusalem were pleading with him to stay in office.

"If (Israeli and U.S.) intentions are sincere, then I am still here, and have been here for years -- they could have reached a deal with me already," said Abbas, who replaced Yasser Arafat as Palestinian Authority president five years ago.

He declared in a televised speech from his office in Ramallah Nov. 4 he would not run for re-election in January -- a statement he repeated on Egyptian television.

"My decision is clear: I will not run in any elections," he said.

He told Egyptian TV "Israel's consistent refusal, particularly with regard to settlements and East Jerusalem, make my direction very clear. There is nowhere to go."

He added that if Israel was ready to seek peace "on the basis of prior agreements and in accordance with the outline laid out in the road map, then it can do so with any Palestinian leader that succeeds me."

Abbas, considered a moderate, pro-Western leader, said he made clear to U.S. President Barack Obama he did not see himself as likely to convince Israel to halt construction in West Bank settlements.

"I told President Obama, if you can't halt (the settlements), why could I?" he told Egyptian TV.