Clinton: Direct Middle East Peace Talks To Resume

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Friday that direct peace talks will resume between Israel and the Palestinian authority.

The negotiations between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will be held in Washington, D.C. early next month. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan’s King Abdullah II will also be in attendance, due to what Clinton described as “their critical role in this effort.”

Tony Blair will attend a dinner for the leaders as a representative of the Quartet, an international assembly overseeing the peace negotiations.

Secretary Clinton said that the negotiations will be aimed at resolving “all final status issues,” and said that she was confident the negotiations can be completed after one year. She also reaffirmed that all parties involved will be approaching the meeting with a two-state solution.

The meetings will represent the first direct talks since late 2008, when Israel launched a military operation against Hamas in the Gaza strip.