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Israel, Palestinians to Restart Peace Talks

   VOA News 20 August 2010

Photo: AFP

   Secretary  of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (R) speaks while flanked by
   Special  Envoy  for  Middle  East Peace Talks, Senator George Mitchell
   (L), 20 August 2010

   U.S.  officials  say  Israel  and  the Palestinians will resume direct
   peace talks in Washington in early September.
   U.S.  Secretary  of  State  Hillary  Clinton announced Friday that the
   process  will  begin  with  a White House meeting with leaders of both
   sides.  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.
   President Abbas said earlier that he was unwilling to engage in direct
   talks  with Israel unless certain conditions were met. Israel sought a
   resumption with no conditions.
   U.S. envoy George Mitchell has been shuttling between both side to get
   talks  restarted.  Mitchell  said  he  expected a "viable" Palestinian
   state to be formed out of the direct talks.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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