Clinton in Egypt for Mideast peace talks

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Egypt on Tuesday urging Israel and the Palestinians to find ways to clear the "hurdle" posed by a looming expiration of a freeze on Jewish settlements.The settlements issue could stall the new peace talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, who were to meet Clinton in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh at 0900 GMT.

Israeli and Palestinian leaders launched their first direct negotiations in 20 months Thursday, agreeing to meet every two weeks in a bid to settle core differences within a year.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas vowed to hold a second round of talks on September 14-15 in the Middle East, possibly in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.In opening some four hours of talks in Washington, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she understood the "suspicion and skepticism" leading up to the meetings.

US-brokered talks between Israel and the Palestinians resume in Egypt on Tuesday as tensions over the issue of settlements threaten the success of the latest push for peace.US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will oversee the second round of talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, after direct negotiations were launched in Washington on September 3.The parties are scheduled to continue their talks in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday presides over fresh Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in Jerusalem aimed at narrowing the gap on Jewish settlements and tackling core issues.She arrived in Jerusalem on Tuesday for more three-way talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, a day after two lengthy sessions with them in Egypt's resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

US-brokered talks between Israel and the Palestinians resume in Egypt on Tuesday as tensions over the issue of settlements threaten the success of the latest push for peace.US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will oversee the second round of talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in the Red Sea resort of S1arm el-Sheikh, after direct negotiations were launched in Washington on September 2.The parties are scheduled to continue their talks in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

Secretary of State John Kerry worked Monday to corral Israeli and Palestinian leaders into a new and ambitious peace process that includes reviving parts of a long-dormant plan embraced by the Arab world a decade ago, officials said. The 2002 initiative that Kerry wants to revive parts of would have provided Israel recognition throughout the Arab world in exchange for a pullout from territory conquered in 1967.

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas was to travel to Egypt on Sunday to discuss the possible relaunch of US-backed peace talks amid lingering divisions over Israeli settlement expansion.Abbas's spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said he would meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday to discuss "important developments" in efforts to restart the talks.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is set to arrive in Israel on Saturday on a mission aimed at injecting new life into the moribund Middle East peace process.Clinton was to meet Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in the United Arab Emirates before heading for the Jewish state for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Clinton's goal on the visit is "to work through the challenges we face in pursuit of comprehensive Middle East peace," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said.