Clinton hails 'excellent' talks with Barak

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak called here Wednesday for pushing ahead with the Middle East peace process by putting aside rows following a deadly Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.Barak made the comments as he went into talks with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that will review Israel's decision to ease its blockade of Gaza and seek how to revive direct Israeli-Palestinian talks.

US Secretary Hillary Clinton and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak will focus on reviving direct Israeli-Palestinian talks "as soon as possible" when they meet here Wednesday, a US official said.The pair will also review Israel's announcement at the weekend to ease its blockade of the Gaza Strip, run by the militant Hamas group, State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters on Tuesday.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tried on Tuesday to nudge along fledgling Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, seeking to prevent a rift over Jewish settlements from derailing them.On her first visit to the Middle East since she launched the new talks in Washington on September 2, Clinton was to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.The chief US diplomat held a preparatory meeting with President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt who also met with Netanyahu and Abbas.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tried on Tuesday to nudge along fledgling Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, seeking to prevent discord over Jewish settlements from derailing them.On her first visit to the Middle East since she launched the new talks in Washington on September 2, Clinton was to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s senior coalition partner says that reaching a final peace agreement with the Palestinians is unrealistic at the current time and the sides should instead pursue an interim arrangement. Finance Minister Yair Lapid’s assessment, delivered in a published interview Sunday just days before the arrival of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, throws a contentious idea into the mix as the U.S. searches for ways to restart peace talks.

Israel’s chief peace negotiator said Thursday it’s “good news” that the Arab peace initiative is negotiable and that Arab nations are supporting peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians at a difficult time in the region. Justice Minister Tzipi Livni told reporters after meeting Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Thursday afternoon that it’s in the interest of Israel, the Palestinians and the international community to resume peace talks. “We need to find a way to do so, and we’re working on it,” she said.

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 envoy George Mitchell met Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak on Saturday as he pursued his efforts to revive the Middle East peace process.A brief statement from the defence ministry said discussions between Mitchell and Barak had "centred on the means of relaunching the peace process."The meeting came a day after Mitchell held talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and the day before with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid pessimism of any breakthrough.