ISRAEL: U.S. Mideast Envoy George Mitchell meets Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak to discuss 'early relaunch' of peace talks

Record ID: 396201

  • Title: ISRAEL: U.S. Mideast Envoy George Mitchell meets Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak to discuss 'early relaunch' of peace talks
  • Date: 9th October 2009
  • Summary: TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (OCTOBER 8, 2009) (REUTERS) U.S. MIDEAST ENVOY GEORGE MITCHELL WALKING INTO ROOM GREETING PEOPLE AND SHAKING HANDS WITH ISRAELI DEFENCE MINISTER EHUD BARAK MITCHELL SMILING (SOUNDBITE) (English) ISRAELI DEFENCE MINISTER EHUD BARAK, SAYING: "I welcome here in the headquarters of the Ministry of Defence. We highly appreciate his efforts to help us, and b
  • Embargoed: 24th October 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Reuters ID: LVA8PP31C23RJVZ7RNSC11C9CHF1
  • Story Text: U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell meets with Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak in Tel Aviv on Thursday (October 8), as Mitchell attempts to re-start the Middle-East peace process.
    U.S. President Barack Obama's special peace envoy,George Mitchell sought on Thursday (October 8) an "early relaunch" of Israeli-Palestinian talks. Israel responded by saying that Washington's goal of comprehensive peace was an illusion.
    With wider Muslim-Jewish tension brewing over access to holy sites in Jerusalem, Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas struggling to restore his credibility and Islamist Hamas ascendant in the Gaza Strip.
    Resuming talks suspended 10 months ago was claimed as "essential"by the two parties, for a comprehensive regional treaty involving Israel and neighbours that include Syria and Lebanon. Obama believes "there is no alternative" if the region wants peace, Mitchell said.
    Peace talks were derailed by the Gaza war. Obama has made their resumption a priority. He invested more political capital last month by arranging a meeting of the Israeli and Palestinian leaders in New York, but with little result.
    U.S. officials said Mitchell was back with a sense of urgency but no expectation of a breakthrough from this visit.
    Mitchell met Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who announced on a morning radio show he would tell Mitchell there was no chance of a comprehensive peace deal for many years.
    Palestinian leaders on Thursday called for a general strike over disputed Jerusalem and warned of further protests on the Muslim day of Friday prayers at al-Aqsa mosque.
    Israel say it is not taking seriously recent Palestinian warnings that a general uprising is about to break out.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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