Mideast peace talks launched
WASHINGTON. September 3. KAZINFORM Israeli and Palestinian leaders began direct peace negotiations on Thursday, sitting down for US-brokered talks even as hard-liners on both sides vowed never to accept a deal; Kazinform refers to China Daily.
One day after US President Barack Obama made a personal appeal for peace, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the State Department to begin talks aimed at establishing an independent Palestinian state.
"This will not be easy," Netanyahu said as talks began. "A true peace, a lasting peace, (would) be achieved only with mutual and painful concessions from both sides."
"The people of Israel, and I as their prime minister, are prepared to walk this road and to go a long way - a long way in a short time - to achieve a genuine peace that will bring our people security, prosperity and good neighbors," Netanyahu said.
Abbas called on Israel to end settlement activity and stop the blockade of the Gaza Strip.
He said the negotiators face many hurdles, but he also said the goals are clear and the path to an enduring peace is known to both sides. He said that means it should be possible to achieve a final agreement within one year, as prescribed by the US.
The direct peace talks, which Obama hopes can reach a deal within a year, come after a 20-month hiatus. Negotiators face deep divisions among both Israelis and Palestinians over the prospects for peace.
"By being here today, you each have taken an important step toward freeing your peoples from the shackles of a history we cannot change and moving toward a future of peace and dignity that only you can create," Clinton said.
Obama, hosting the Washington talks ahead of the pivotal November US congressional elections, used separate meetings with Netanyahu and Abbas on Wednesday to urge them not to let the chance for peace slip away; Kazinform cites China Daily.
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