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Obama to talk to Mid-East leaders Obama to meet Middle East leaders
(about 1 hour later)
The White House has announced that President Barack Obama will meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Tuesday. President Barack Obama will meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Tuesday to try to relaunch peace talks.
Mr Obama will first hold separate talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Mr Obama will first hold separate talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the White House says.
The three men will then hold a session of joint discussions. The three men, who will be in New York for the UN General Assembly, will then hold joint discussions.
This comes after US envoy George Mitchell's latest round of shuttle diplomacy ended without agreement. The move comes after US envoy George Mitchell's latest round of shuttle diplomacy ended without agreement.
Mr Mitchell met Mr Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Friday in a fresh attempt at getting a deal on Jewish settlement activity. The White House said the meetings next week would continue efforts by Mr Obama, Mr Mitchell and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "to lay the groundwork for the relaunch of negotiations".
Mr Mitchell said Mr Obama desire to personally engage at this juncture showed his "deep commitment to comprehensive peace".
Settlement dispute
The US envoy held a series of meetings with Mr Netanyahu last week in a fresh attempt at getting a deal on Jewish settlement activity.
He also went to the West Bank to talk to Mr Abbas.He also went to the West Bank to talk to Mr Abbas.
Mr Mitchell was hoping for a consensus before all sides attend the UN General Assembly in New York next week. Mr Mitchell was hoping for a consensus before all sides attend the UN General Assembly, but he returned to the US without reaching any agreement.
But he returned to the US without reaching any agreement. The road is now blocked Mahmoud AbbasPalestinian president
The White House statement said that Tuesday's talks would "lay the groundwork" for a new round of peace negotiations.
The US is seeking a moratorium on settlement building that would be acceptable to the Palestinian side.
Mr Abbas and the US administration have been demanding a complete freeze on Israeli construction activity.Mr Abbas and the US administration have been demanding a complete freeze on Israeli construction activity.
Mr Netanyahu had previously offered a temporary freeze for several months, but not in East Jerusalem or in cases where homes have already been approved.Mr Netanyahu had previously offered a temporary freeze for several months, but not in East Jerusalem or in cases where homes have already been approved.
"There is a slowdown in settlement construction, but not a freeze," he said. "There are 2,400 units being built, and their construction will continue." He noted this week that there had been a slowdown in settlement construction, but that work would continue on 2,400 units currently being built.
On Saturday, both sides were reported as blaming each other for the lack of any agreement to resume the peace process following Mr Mitchell's visit.
Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yossi Levi said the Palestinian Authority was "preventing the resumption of the peace process by making conditions that it has not made in the past", AFP news agency said.
It was not reported which conditions he was referring to.
But Mr Abbas said Israel was to blame for not agreeing to a total freeze in settlement building.
"The road is now blocked," he told journalists in Cairo.
"There is no more work [for Mr Mitchell] with the Western or Palestinian sides because we are complying with all our duties.
"The focus has to be on the Israeli side."