MADRID, July 31, 2008 (AFP) - The Palestinian Authority does not think that peace talks will be hit by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's decision to step down, Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Malki said Thursday in Spain.

'We are not worried by the change in Israeli prime minister because we know that Israel is seriously engaged to remain involved in the negotiation process with the Palestinians,' he told a joint news conference in Madrid with Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos.

'The decision (to engage in the peace process) is not a personal decision of Olmert but a collective decision of the Israeli government. This posture on the part of the Israeli government should be maintained after Olmert's departure,' he added.

Olmert, embroiled in a high-profile corruption investigation, said in a televised announcement late on Wednesday that he would resign after his Kadima party chose a new leader in September elections.

The announcement came just as Olmert had been intensifying negotiations with the Palestinian Authority as well as Syria and it raised uncertainty over the Middle East peace effort.

Moratinos meanwhile said Olmert's departure 'should not affect' the peace talks.

'There is an engagement on the part of the international community and the Israeli government,' he said.

'My hope, my wish and my conviction is that we are going to continue to work with the same engagement to find a definitive peace between Palestinians and Israelis,' he added.