Israelis and Palestinians resume peace talks

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Source: CCTV.com | 11-29-2007 08:16

U.S. President George W. Bush (C) is joined by Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (L) and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (R) in the Rose Garden after meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, November 28, 2007.  REUTERS/Larry Downing 

Just 24 hours after securing an agreement between Israeli and Palestinian leaders to resume long-stalled peace talks US President George W. Bush has invited both men to the White House.

This to ceremonially inaugurate the first formal, direct negotiations in seven years.

On Wednesday, Bush met separately with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at the White House. All three will meet later in the day to declare peace talks formally under way.

Bush was joined at the White House by Abbas and Olmert in a brief Rose Garden ceremony.

Bush assured both sides the US will be actively engaged in the process to help achieve a Middle East peace agreement. Bush also applauded the Palestinian-Israeli joint document as a hopeful beginning.

U.S. President George W. Bush (C) is joined by Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (L) and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (R) in the Rose Garden after meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, November 28, 2007. REUTERS/Larry Downing

A senior Palestinian negotiator says Abbas and Olmert will hold a meeting on December the 12th in Jerusalem. It will be a highly symbolic day for the Palestinians.

Saeb Erekat, Palestinian senior negotiator, said, "We need to begin and we decided to begin on December the 12th the journey towards the treaty on the issues of Jerusalem, borders, settlements, refugees, water and security. This will be a difficult journey, issues are difficult but I believe we are today required to have more decisions than negotiations."

The White House meeting came one day after Israel and Palestinian promised to try to forge a treaty by the end of 2008 at the Annapolis conference.

Despite deep international doubts about the post-Annapolis prospects for the Palestinian-Israel peace process by January 2009 when Bush's presidency expires, the White House has highlighted the conference's achievement.

President Bush is joined by Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the door to the Oval Office of the White House, November 28, 2007. REUTERS/Larry Downing

Editor:Zhang Pengfei