[Ha'aretz] Barak Ravid - A senior Western diplomat said the U.S. is currently developing a diplomatic plan for renewal of the Middle East peace process but is only interested in pursuing it after the settlement issue and the matter of pro-Israel gestures from Arab states are resolved. The plan will not provide parameters for the resolution of core issues. Rather it will provide a framework and a timetable for negotiations. The diplomat noted that the Americans have understood that Israel cannot agree to an absolute freeze in construction in the settlements. The shift in the American position is also the product of the refusal on the part of the moderate Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia, to make significant normalization gestures toward Israel.
2009-07-16 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive