Netanyahu, Obama, Abbas in New York last month
Photo: AP
Obama tells Abbas committed to PA state
Palestinian news agency reports US President Barack Obama phoned Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas and stressed his commitment to establishment of Palestinian state. Abbas spokesman calls conversation 'very important'
A month has passed since the three-way summit between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and US President Barack Obama in New York, and talks between Israel and the Palestinians have yet to take off.
Despite the US president's reprimands, the two parties have not even succeeded in reaching an agreement on a start for talks, but Obama is not giving up, and is contacting the leaders personally.
According to a report by the official Palestinian news agency on Friday, Obama phoned President Abbas to discuss the peace process with him.
The report said that during the phone call, Abbas presented to Obama the problems hindering the process, and the American president stressed his personal commitment to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Abbas also reportedly stressed his own commitment to a peace process that would lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and an end to Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Abbas' official spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said it was "a very important conversation for the future of the peace process and the region."
On Thursday, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton submitted a report to Obama detailing progress in talks with the Israelis and Palestinians. A senior official in the Obama administration said the renewal of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians was still far off but that some progress has been made.
Special Mideast envoy George Mitchell later said that the "one sides and deeply flawed" Goldstone Report on Operation Cast Lead in Gaza was a setback in the renewal or talks, but stressed that it is too soon to brand his efforts to resume peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders a failure.
