Hopeful. Clinton
Photo: Reuters
Egypt's Mubarak
Photo: AP
US hopeful Mideast peace talks to resume soon
Following Clinton-Mubarak meeting in Washington, State Department spokesman says Israel, Palestinians and Arab states need to take 'parallel steps' to set stage for return to peace negotiations
The Obama administration is hopeful that conditions can be created soon to resume stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, the US State Department said Monday ahead of talks between President Barack Obama and Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak.
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"We're trying to work hard to create conditions for negotiation to continue and we hope to have this phase of this process completed in the next few weeks," spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters after an hour-long meeting between Mubarak and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at a Washington hotel.
Crowley said Egypt and the United States agreed that all sides, Israel, the Palestinians and Arab states, need to take "parallel steps" to set the stage for a return to negotiations. Those include a halt to settlement activity by Israel, Palestinian moves to improve security and gestures by Arab nations toward normalization of relations with Israel.
"I think Egypt and the United States share the view that we have to have parallel steps here," he said.
Only Egypt and Jordan have peace treaties with Israel. Arab states without relations with Israel have rebuffed US appeals to take certain steps toward normalizing ties until Israel makes the first move.
Obama will meet with Mubarak at the White House on Tuesday.
Earlier Monday, Mubarak warned against an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. "There is a rift within the Iranian leadership, and the best way (to deal with its nuclear program) is to wait. An attack would only rally the Iranians around their leadership," he told a group of Jewish leaders.
Yitzhak Benhorin contributed to the report
