Obama envoy in Mideast for push to start direct peace talks

Jul 16, 2010, 2:16 GMT

Tel Aviv - Washington's special envoy to the Middle East arrived in Israel Thursday to push for direct Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, hoping to do so before the partial freeze on Israeli construction in the occupied West Bank expires.

George Mitchell was slated to start his new, three-day round of indirect peace talks by meeting Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak in the evening, before talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Friday morning.

He was scheduled to meet the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank city of Ramallah, just north of Jerusalem, on Saturday, before getting back to Netanyahu again on Sunday.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, have continued to publicly list two conditions for moving on from indirect to direct negotiations:

That Israel freeze all construction in both the occupied West Bank and annexed East Jerusalem; that the negotiations start from where they left off under the previous, centrist Israeli government of former premier Ehud Olmert; and that meaningful progress is made in the indirect talks first on key negotiating issues, notably those of borders and security.

Netanyahu indicated in Washington last week that he did not intend to extend the 10-month partial moratorium on Israeli construction in West Bank settlements, due to expire September 26.

Israel and the US hope to move on to direct negotiations before that date, so that both leaders would have more political maneuverability to take difficult steps.

A sceptical and reluctant Abbas entered into indirect talks with the hardline Netanyahu government only in the spring, more than a year after the Israeli premier took office.