PARIS – U.S. envoy George Mitchell sought advice from France’s foreign minister Saturday before heading off to meet Mideast leaders in a bid to start indirect talks between the Israelis and Palestinians.
Mitchell – who will see Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu first, then Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas — said he wanted indirect talks between the leaders to begin as soon as possible.
Additional Photos
The U.S. Mideast envoy, after a meeting with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, also said he hoped indirect discussions could “lead in the near future to direct negotiations between the two parties.”
Earlier this month, Israelis and Palestinians had agreed to indirect talks, with Mitchell planning to shuttle between Abbas and Netanyahu.
However, the plan was put on hold after Israel announced plans to build 1,600 new houses for Jews in east Jerusalem. Israel’s announcement came during a visit by Vice President Joe Biden and sparked a diplomatic row between Israel and the U.S.
Mitchell declined to give specifics on what he would ask of Israel in order to spark the talks, saying, “We have suggested a range of actions that can be taken on all sides.”
Kouchner said France “stands by the United States to stress the need for an immediate start” to the indirect talks.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.