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Jordan talks between Israeli, Palestinian representatives to promote Middle East peace process

The U.S. Secretary of State highly estimated the Jordanian government’s efforts to promote the Middle East negotiating process

WASHINGTON, January 2 (Itar-Tass) — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called on Israel and Palestine to take active steps at the talks in Jordan to achieve peace in the Middle East.

Clinton spoke on Sunday, ahead of two meetings in Amman on January 3, one between representatives from Jerusalem and Ramallah, and the other one involving Israeli and Palestinian negotiators and the Middle East Quartet (including the United Nations, the European Union, Russia, and the United States) envoys.

The U.S. Secretary of State highly estimated the Jordanian government’s efforts to promote the Middle East negotiating process. “We welcome and support this positive development. I applaud the efforts of the King and Foreign Minister Judeh to bring the parties together and encourage them to approach these meetings constructively,” she said.

“We are hopeful that this direct exchange can help move us forward on the pathway proposed by the Quartet,” she stressed. “As the President and I have said before, the need for a lasting peace is more urgent than ever. The status quo is not sustainable and the parties must act boldly to advance the cause of peace.”

Last week, Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said his government was ready to continue talks on the Middle East political settlement, but would never agree to any peace treaty without proper security guarantees to his country. In his words, the Palestinian leaders will have to recognize Israel as a national house for the Jewish people, although this is not a precondition for resuming peace talks.