RAMALLAH, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Secretary General of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Saeb Erekat said Sunday that the only way to achieve peace is by establishing an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders.

He stressed that East Jerusalem is the capital of the future Palestinian state and considered that ending the Israeli occupation is essential to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the region.

Erekat's statements came after holding separate meetings with UN Middle East Peace Envoy Nikolay Mladenov and Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo, at his office in West Bank city of Jericho, said a statement by his office.

The statement by Erekat's office said that the U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and the following statement in which he said Jerusalem has been taken off the negotiations table, "will only widen the cycle of violence, chaos, extremism and bloodshed; not only between Israelis and Palestinians, but also in the entire Middle East region."