Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


              Kerry Seeks to 'Narrow Gaps' in Mideast Peace Talks

   U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is due to meet Wednesday with
   Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a bid to "narrow the gaps" in
   peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel.
   The talks in Amman, Jordan come days ahead of Israel`s scheduled
   release of a fourth round of Palestinian prisoners.
   The releases are part of an agreement that led the two sides to resume
   negotiations last year. Israel has not confirmed Friday`s release will
   take place, and Palestinian leaders have threatened to walk away from
   the peace talks if they do not.
   State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the U.S. expects the
   process will continue as planned through next month.
   "Both parties agreed to negotiate for nine months, so I think we`re
   still certainly operating under that basis, and they`re still
   negotiating in good faith under that basis. Obviously, we`ve said both
   parties have had to make courageous decisions throughout this process
   to keep the negotiations going, and we certainly hope that will
   continue."
   Kerry is also due to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
   Netanyahu, either by phone or video conference.
   The parties involved in the peace talks have not publicly discussed the
   details of the negotiations, but there has been little visible progress
   on narrowing gaps on major issues. These include the status of
   Jerusalem, the fate of Palestinian refugees, borders and security.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-seeks-to-narrow-gaps-in-mideast
   -peace-talks/1879334.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-seeks-to-narrow-gaps-in-mideast-peace-talks/1879334.html