US wants urgent Mideast peace talks
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Daily News with wires
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 10, 2009 00:00
jerusalem - U.S. envoy George Mitchell began a new swing through the Mideast yesterday with a call for a rapid resumption of peace talks, as the White House tried to push Israel to halt settlement construction in the West Bank.
Mitchell, whose trip comes just days before hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to outline his cabinet's peace policy, told Israeli leaders that Washington wants the stalled Middle East peace talks to resume soon and wrap up quickly. "We all share an obligation to create the conditions for the prompt resumption and early conclusion of negotiations," Mitchell said ahead of talks with Israeli President Shimon Peres. "We're now engaged in serious discussions with our Israeli and Palestinian and regional partners to support these efforts," he was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying.
On Monday, Mitchell said President Barack Obama had told him to work for an "immediate" resumption of the peace talks, which restarted under U.S. stewardship in November 2007 but suspended amid the Gaza war early this year. He also reiterated that Washington sees the creation of a Palestinian state as the "only viable political solution" to the decades-old conflict.
But he also tried to calm Israeli nerves, saying the policy gaps "are not disagreements among adversaries" and that the two countries "remain close allies and friends."
In his meeting with the defense minister, Ehud Barak, the two discussed the question of settlement construction, The Associated Press reported, citing a statement released by Barak's office. Netanyahu is set to deliver a major policy speech Sunday. The Israeli leader spoke to Obama late Monday, and Obama said he is looking forward to the upcoming speech, according to statements from Netanyahu's office and the White House.
According to the White House, Obama repeated points he made in his address to the Muslim world in Cairo last week, "including his commitment to Israel's security."
On Monday, Mitchell said President Barack Obama had told him to work for an "immediate" resumption of the peace talks, which restarted under U.S. stewardship in November 2007 but suspended amid the Gaza war early this year. He also reiterated that Washington sees the creation of a Palestinian state as the "only viable political solution" to the decades-old conflict.
But he also tried to calm Israeli nerves, saying the policy gaps "are not disagreements among adversaries" and that the two countries "remain close allies and friends."
In his meeting with the defense minister, Ehud Barak, the two discussed the question of settlement construction, The Associated Press reported, citing a statement released by Barak's office. Netanyahu is set to deliver a major policy speech Sunday. The Israeli leader spoke to Obama late Monday, and Obama said he is looking forward to the upcoming speech, according to statements from Netanyahu's office and the White House.
According to the White House, Obama repeated points he made in his address to the Muslim world in Cairo last week, "including his commitment to Israel's security."