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U.S. Envoy Mitchell Heads to Israel for Talks

[Jerusalem Post] Herb Keinon - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's scheduled meeting with U.S. envoy George Mitchell on Monday will deal not only with the settlement issue, but also with a timeline and the parameters of talks expected to be launched with the Palestinians on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting later this month. Among the issues expected to be discussed were the gestures that Israel could expect from the Arab world in exchange for a declaration of a temporary settlement construction moratorium. Netanyahu is expected to reiterate to Mitchell that a moratorium is only sustainable if he can show the public that this time the diplomatic process is different and includes elements - such as significant regional participation from the outset - that have not been seen before. Netanyahu also wants to discuss with Mitchell what needs to be done to ensure that the next round of talks will be different from the previous ones, which all ended in failure. Regarding a construction freeze, a number of outstanding issues still have to be dealt with. Israeli officials want to set guidelines as to where and how building in the settlements could continue once the freeze ended. In addition, Israel is willing to halt approval for new private housing units, but not for public buildings such as classrooms, health clinics and synagogues, in order to ensure a continuation of "normal life."
2009-09-11 08:00:00
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