Netanyahu shrugs off Obama call for 2 states

?We talked about restarting serious negotiations on issues of Israel and the Palestinians,? Obama said, adding that it was in the interests of both sides ?to achieve a two-state solution.? Obama, speaking along with Netanyahu to reporters in the Oval Office, also reminded Israel of its commitment, under a 2003 US-backed peace road map to cease settlement activity in the occupied West Bank. Construction was approved by Defense Minister Ehud Barak in July 2008 and the timing of the new stage was not intended to make a political point, he said. ?The whole process is being carried out in keeping with the law, and we had no idea about the timing,? Elhaiini said, referring to the Obama-Netanyahu meeting. The Iranian issue loomed large over the White House talks. Obama said after the meeting he saw no reasons to set an artificial deadline for diplomacy with Iran, but the United States would like to see progress with Tehran by the end of the year; Kazinform cites Arab News. See www.arabnews.com for full version.