[Reuters] Matt Spetalnick - President Barack Obama called on Israel, the Palestinians and the Arab states on Thursday to act simultaneously to help kick-start Middle East peace negotiations. The White House put forth the idea in announcing that Obama had spoken by phone with Jordan's King Abdullah and "agreed on the need to launch Israeli-Palestinian negotiations as soon as possible." "They also agreed that all parties - Israel, the Palestinians and Arab states - should take steps simultaneously to create a context in which these negotiations can succeed," Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said. Arab states have resisted Obama's appeals to make good-faith gestures toward Israel and have instead put the onus on Israel to act first.
2009-08-21 08:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive