LEAD: Israel pessimistic about future of Amman talks

Jan 29, 2012, 14:51 GMT

Jerusalem - Israel and the Palestinians have blamed each other for the failure to make progress in five rounds of talks in Amman over the past three weeks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was pessimistic Sunday about the chances that the 'exploratory' talks - the first direct ones in more than 15 months - would continue, and move on to actual negotiations.

'The signs aren't particularly good,' Netanyahu told his cabinet.

'Until this moment, the Palestinians have refused to even discuss Israel's security needs,' he charged.

The talks had been an effort by Jordan and the Quartet of Middle East mediators - United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia - to bring the sides back to the negotiating table.

Palestinian officials have warned they will not resume direct talks, unless Israel freezes settlement activity, or recognizes the lines set before the 1967 war as the basis for the talks.

'But I hope they will come around and continue with the talks so that we can move on to real negotiations,' Netanyahu said.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday blamed Israel for the failure to achieve a breakthrough in the Amman talks.

Israel's 'intransigence' and refusal to present clear proposals on the issues of borders and security, as requested by the Quartet, created a setback to the peace talks, the official Palestinian Wafa news agency quoted him as telling Irish Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore in Ramallah.

Abbas also told a Japanese official he was ready to resume negotiations with Israel once it recognized the 1967 borders of the Palestinian state and stopped all settlement activities in the Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, Wafa said.

The Palestinian leader is scheduled to consult the Arab League on February 4, before making a final decision whether to break off the talks.

He is under pressure from Quartet members and others to stay in the talks.

Abbas met EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in Jordan last week, whilst UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is scheduled to visit Israel and the Palestinian areas this week to 'encourage' the sides to keep talking.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle is also scheduled to visit Israel and the Palestinians areas this week.

Netanyahu said he would tell Ban 'about our hopes that the Palestinians will stay in the talks, in order to eventually arrive at concrete negotiations between us and them.'

He said he would also press the UN head on the need to impose even tougher sanctions against Iran.

Ban's visit comes both as tensions between Iran and the West over Tehran's nuclear programme have intensified, and after a January 26 set to the Amman 'exploratory' talks expired.

'My visit comes at an important moment,' Ban said in New York last week. 'I will be there to encourage both sides to re-engage in earnest and create a positive atmosphere for moving forward.'

The Palestinians have warned they will step up their diplomatic campaign at the UN if they see no ground for continuing talks with Netanyahu's hardline government, among others by applying for membership of the Human Rights Council. They have also warned they will launch a peaceful protest campaign, inspired by the Arab Spring.