Mideast Peace Talks to Restart
VOA News 20 August 2010
Israeli and Palestinian leaders welcomed the resumption of direct peace talks in Washington in early September in a deal brokered by the United States.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Friday that the process will begin with a White House meeting with leaders of both sides.
The militant Palestinian Hamas faction, which rules the Gaza Strip, is not participating and denounced the talks.
Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, Jordan's King Abdullah will also be invited as will former British Prime Minister Tony Blair representing a "Quartet" of world powers the US, Russia, the United Nations, and European Union.
Clinton is then expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to begin the negotiations. Clinton says talks can be concluded within a year, with an aim to create a Palestinian state next to Israel.
The talks would mark the first direct negotiations between the two sides since late 2008.
Mr. Netanyahu accepted the invitation to talks on Friday. Palestinian leaders, expressing supporting for the resumption of talks, were meeting Friday to formalize a broader response.
President Abbas said earlier that he was unwilling to engage in direct talks with Israel unless certain conditions were met.
U.S. envoy George Mitchell has been shuttling between both sides to get talks restarted. Mitchell said he expected a "viable" Palestinian state to be formed out of the direct talks.
Mitchell said significant challenges remain, noting there is still distrust between the two parties, and what he called "a residue of hostility developed over many decades of conflict."
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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