Clinton says time is ripe for Mideast deal

Clinton spoke to reporters on Monday during a flight from Washington to Egypt.

Written by: Agencies

2 min readSharm El-sheikh (egypt)Sep 14, 2010 01:34 PM IST

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has said that the 8216;time is ripe8217; for Mideast peace,but without face-to-face talks Israel can8217;t expect lasting security and the Palestinians can8217;t create an independent state.

Clinton spoke to reporters on Monday during a flight from Washington to Egypt and arrived early toady for the latest round of the current Mideast peace talks,which began earlier this month.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are expected to meet on Tuesday in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh before shifting their talks to Jerusalem on Wednesday.

Clinton and former Senator George Mitchell,President Barack Obama8217;s special envoy to the region,are expected to join the talks.

Obama has framed Clinton8217;s task for this week8217;s meetings as an effort to get Israeli and Palestinian leaders to focus on how each can help the other succeed rather than figuring out a way for the other to fail.

But the most immediate obstacle for negotiators is a Palestinian demand that Israel extend a curb on new housing construction in the West Bank,a constraint that Israel says will expire on September 26.

Clinton said yesterday the Obama administration believes Israel should extend the moratorium,but she also said it would take an effort by both sides to find a way around the problem.

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8220;We recognize that an agreement that could be forged between the Israelis and the Palestinians 8230; that would enable the negotiations to continue is in the best interests of both sides,8221; she said.

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