Israeli PM Netanyahu meets US President Obama in Washington

Video

Play VideoEgypt´s president meets Israeli PM Play VideoIsraeli President rejects UN report Play VideoUN inquiry accuses Israel of negligence Play VideoIsrael PM outlines "triple track" approach to resume peace negotiations

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has met with US President Barack Obama at the White House. Monday's meeting focused on Mideast peace talks, Iran's nuclear programme and US-Israeli relations.

Netanyahu told a press conference after the meeting that he is ready to resume peace talks with the Palestinians immediately, but any agreement is contingent on their acceptance of Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state.

Obama said it is important that Netanyahu returns to the negotiating table. The Israeli prime minister also spoke of a sense of urgency felt throughout the Arab world about Iran's nuclear programme.

Obama said the US wants to bring Iran into the world community. But he declared a readiness to seek deeper international sanctions against the Islamic Republic if it shunned US attempts to open negotiations on its nuclear programme.

Barack Obama, US President, said, "The important thing is to make sure that there is a clear timetable of at which point we say these talks don't seem to be making any serious progress. It hasn't been tried before so we don't want to pre-judge that but as I said by the end of the year we should have some sense as to whether or not these discussions are starting to yield significant benefits."