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                      Obama, Abbas Meet as Deadline Nears

   U.S. President Barack Obama will host his Palestinian counterpart,
   Mahmoud Abbas, at the White House Monday to discuss the stalled Middle
   East peace process.
   The meeting comes ahead of an April 29 target date for a framework
   agreement from the troubled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
   In main West Bank cities Monday, thousands of Palestinians took to the
   streets to support Mr. Abbas`s visit. Demonstrators waved flags and
   chanted `we are with you, president!"
   Some 1,500 people turned out in the West Bank administrative center of
   Ramallah, and more than 1,000 in the southern flashpoint city of
   Hebron.
   Mr. Obama met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu two weeks
   ago, but after more than seven months of U.S.-brokered peace talks,
   there is growing pessimism and acrimony.
   There has been little visible progress on narrowing gaps on major
   issues in the more than six-decade dispute. These include the status of
   Jerusalem, the fate of Palestinian refugees, borders and security.
   The U.S. hopes a framework deal will prevent the collapse of the peace
   process and enable negotiations on a final agreement to continue until
   the end of the year.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-abbas-meet-as-deadline-nears/18
   72780.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-abbas-meet-as-deadline-nears/1872780.html