France criticizes Netanyahu's statements on the West Bank

In a statement made on Monday, a spokesman for the French foreign minister said France learned about Netanyahu's statements as published in newspapers in which he declared that the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank "are part of Israel" and that he did not intend to concede them to the Palestinians.

The spokesman described such statements as meeting with strong reactions from France and the European Union. He reiterated the statement of the President of the EU to the effect that the Union's stand is based on the "land for peace" formula.

The spokesman referred to the statement made by President Chirac during his visit last April to Cairo when he said, "Peace in the Middle East is unattainable unless Palestinians' right to self-determination and to an independent state is honored."