Washington - The United States plans a renewed effort to promote comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday.
President Barack Obama will lay out US policy toward the Middle East and North Africa in the coming weeks, Clinton told Arab and US policy makers, suggesting that a new push for Israeli-Palestinian peace will be a central element.
Obama's launch of direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks last year went nowhere and he is under pressure to push for a new initiative or face the prospect of the Palestinians seeking the UN General Assembly's blessing for a Palestinian state.
“The president will be speaking in greater detail about America's policy in the Middle East and North Africa in the coming weeks,” Clinton said at the US-Islamic World Forum, a gathering sponsored by Qatar and the Brookings Institution think tank.
“We start from the understanding that America's core interests and values have not changed, including our commitment to promote human rights, resolve long-standing conflicts, counter Iran's threats and defeat al-Qaeda and its extremist allies,” she added. “This includes renewed pursuit of comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace.” - Reuters