French minister bids to revive Middle East talks
None
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe made a last-ditch effort on Thursday to revive peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians before a likely showdown at the United Nations in September.
US-brokered talks collapsed last year in a dispute over Jewish settlement building, and the Palestinians say that unless there is a breakthrough, they will seek UN recognition of statehood in September. "We are convinced that if nothing happens here between now and September the situation will be very difficult for everyone at the time of the United Nations General Assembly," Juppe said after meeting Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. (AP)
