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| Kerry, in bid to keep Mideast peace talks alive, will meet with Abbas in Jordan | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| ROME — Days before Israel is supposed to release a final group of Palestinian prisoners — a key test of faith in U.S.-backed peace negotiations — Secretary of State John F. Kerry will travel to the region to try to keep the talks alive. | ROME — Days before Israel is supposed to release a final group of Palestinian prisoners — a key test of faith in U.S.-backed peace negotiations — Secretary of State John F. Kerry will travel to the region to try to keep the talks alive. |
| State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Kerry will see Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday in Amman, Jordan. | State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Kerry will see Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday in Amman, Jordan. |
| Kerry will then rejoin President Obama’s trip to Europe and Saudi Arabia. Kerry was also conferring with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone. | |
| The scheduled March 29 prisoner release is the last milestone ahead of an end-of-April deadline Kerry set for a preliminary deal. | The scheduled March 29 prisoner release is the last milestone ahead of an end-of-April deadline Kerry set for a preliminary deal. |
| Netanyahu is under political pressure to postpone the release, which would free many long-held inmates convicted of killing Israelis. Abbas is under equal pressure to walk away from talks if Israel balks or to abandon the peace effort after the prisoners are freed. | |
| Kerry’s face-to-face meeting with Abbas is intended to “narrow the gaps between the parties,” Psaki said as Kerry arrived in Rome for related meetings. | Kerry’s face-to-face meeting with Abbas is intended to “narrow the gaps between the parties,” Psaki said as Kerry arrived in Rome for related meetings. |
| The prisoner issue has emerged as a flashpoint in increasingly troubled negotiations and a rallying cry for opponents on both sides. | The prisoner issue has emerged as a flashpoint in increasingly troubled negotiations and a rallying cry for opponents on both sides. |
| Palestinians had agreed to suspend efforts to gain greater statehood rights through the United Nations in exchange for the prisoners. Chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, accompanying Abbas to Washington for a meeting with Obama at the White House earlier this month, refused to say what his side would do if the release is delayed or canceled. | Palestinians had agreed to suspend efforts to gain greater statehood rights through the United Nations in exchange for the prisoners. Chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, accompanying Abbas to Washington for a meeting with Obama at the White House earlier this month, refused to say what his side would do if the release is delayed or canceled. |
| Both Netanyahu and Abbas agreed to keep their negotiators at the table through April. With no visible signs of progress, Kerry is trying to get both sides to agree to an outline for a final peace deal. | Both Netanyahu and Abbas agreed to keep their negotiators at the table through April. With no visible signs of progress, Kerry is trying to get both sides to agree to an outline for a final peace deal. |
| Divisive issues such as borders of a future Palestinian state and the status of Jerusalem would be sketched out in that agreement, with details to be filled in over the following months. | Divisive issues such as borders of a future Palestinian state and the status of Jerusalem would be sketched out in that agreement, with details to be filled in over the following months. |