InTheNews.co.uk
Breaking News:
Your source for news

World News Story

 16 October 2008 03:55 BST

Olmert and Abbas hold talks for first time in seven weeks

Monday, 07 Apr 2008 17:02
Israeli and Palestinian leaders resume peace talks
Peace talks between Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas have resumed after a seven-week gap.

Talks between the two leaders were called off by Mr Abbas when the Israeli army launched a major offensive into the Gaza Strip.

Both men are attempting to fulfil a pledge they made at the Annapolis summit last November alongside George Bush to find a lasting solution to the peace process by the end of this year.

But since the turn of 2008 the vow has been undermined by a series of incidents which have worsened relations across the negotiating table.

In January Hamas tightened its control on the Gaza Strip after breaking through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt and a month later the humanitarian situation in Gaza spiralled out of control due to an Israeli blockade.

At the same time, militants have continued to fire rockets into Israeli territory and the Jewish state has stepped up settlement-building on the West Bank and in East Jerusalem.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said the three hours of talks on Monday saw promises made last autumn reaffirmed.

"Both leaders reiterated their commitment to the Annapolis process and to reaching a historic agreement by the end of the year," he said.

"Both sides today raised concerns, but they agreed that the negotiations will go on."End of story


More world news... 

Also In The News 

© 2004- 2008 www.inthenews.co.uk. Advertise | Privacy | Terms of Use