Clinton says PA UN bid is stalled, calls for renewed talks
By REUTERS, JPOST.COM STAFF
LAST UPDATED: 10/12/2011 00:06
US secretary of state says US won't cut funding to UN organization that support Palestinian membership; Quartet calls for talks in Jordan.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Photo: REUTERS/Tony Gentile
The
Palestinian push for UN membership is not going anywhere for now, US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday, making the case that
the Palestinians should resume peace talks with Israel.
Clinton
also said she has asked the US Congress to allow the United States to
keep funding UN agencies that grant the Palestinians membership, saying
cutting off bodies like the International Atomic Energy Agency would
hurt US interests.
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The US had previously threatened to cut funding from UN organization like UNESCO, that had voted for Palestinian membership.
The
US State Department in Washington also announced Tuesday night that the
so-called Quartet of Middle East mediators has proposed a meeting
between Israeli and Palestinian Authority representatives in Jordan,
Israel Radio reported.
State Department spokesperson Victoria
Nuland said that these would be the initial talks in renewed peace
negotiations, and expressed hope that the two sides would respond
positively to the proposal.
The
announcement follows a statement from EU Foreign Affairs chief Catherine
Ashton on Sunday, who said that the Quartet has decided to call on
Palestinians and Israelis to return to the negotiating table.
Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Monday that he would be willing to
sit down with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas any time.
The Palestinians have called for a complete settlement freeze before returning to negotiations.
