|
International News Updates |
|
|
|
22 April 2009
The leaders of Israel, Egypt and the Palestinian
Authority will visit the White House in the near
future, according to a US official.
Binyamin Netanyahu, Hosni Mubarak and Mahmoud Abbas
will visit Washington before Barack Obama, the US
president, leaves to visit Normandy, France, in June.
The announcement by Robert Gibbs, the White
House press spokesman, on Tuesday in Washington came
after a meeting between Obama and Jordan's King
Abdullah II.
This was the first visit to the White House by an
Arab leader since Obama took office in January.
Gibbs said Obama has "invited other key partners in
the effort to achieve a comprehensive peace in the
Middle East to the White House in the coming weeks".
He said the White House is actively working to
finalise dates for the visits.
"With each of them the president will discuss ways
the US can strengthen and deepen our partnerships with
them, as well as the steps all parties must take to
achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians and
Israel and the Arab states," Gibbs said.
'Step back from abyss'
Addressing a joint news conference with Abdullah,
Obama pushed Netanyahu to accept the goal of a
Palestinian state as he urged Israel and the
Palestinians to "step back from the abyss".
"I am a strong supporter of a two-state solution. I
have articulated that publicly, and I will articulate
that privately," he said.
"And I think that there are a lot of Israelis who
also believe in a two-state solution."
Obama's
Middle East diplomacy has been complicated by the
emergence of a coalition comprising
ultranationalists led by Netanyahu, who since coming
to power last month has avoided recognising the
Palestinians' right to an independent state.
Obama reassured Abdullah of his commitment to a
two-state solution to the Middle East conflict.
Obama took care not to confront Netanyahu head-on
but made clear his administration hoped to coax him
into accepting the principle of a two-state solution,
which has been the basis of US policy for years.
"I agree that we can't talk forever, that at some
point steps have to be taken so that people can see
progress on the ground," he said. "And that will be
something that we will expect to take place in the
coming months."
Stalled road map
In recent weeks, Obama has made it clear to Israel
that he believes the path to peace lies in already
agreed frameworks made in the stalled road map plan
for Israeli-Palestinian peace and the Annapolis
agreement.
Two weeks ago, in an address to Turkey's
parliament, Obama said "the United States strongly
supports the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine,
living side by side in peace and security".
AObama met both Netanyahu, who was then in opposition,
and Abdullah during a visit to their two countries
last year while he was still a senator.
Abdullah and Obama reportedly appeared to get along
well, with Abdullah taking the unusual step of
personally driving Obama to the Amman airport. |
Save
Print
Add Comments To This Story