Barack Obama Oversees Mideast Peace Talks

Newscast Media – US President Barack Obama has urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders not to let the chance of a permanent peace deal "slip away".

"This moment of opportunity may not soon come again," he said, pledging the US would support the new negotiations.

Mr Obama spoke the day before a new round of direct talks between Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas was due to begin.

Earlier, he condemned the "senseless slaughter" of four Israeli settlers. They were shot dead by gunmen in the West Bank on Tuesday.

Mr Obama spoke at the White House on Wednesday evening after meetings with Mr Netanyahu, Mr Abbas, Jordan's King Abdullah and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

His remarks came on the eve of the first direct negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in 20 months, which he said were "intended to resolve all final status issues".

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday called Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas "my partner in peace" and said he was seeking a peace to end the Middle East conflict "once and for all."

Barack Obama opened a new round of Mideast peacemaking Wednesday, bringing Israeli and Palestinian leaders to the White House for talks aimed at forging agreement within one year on a two-state solution.

"Our goal is to forge a secure and durable peace between Israel and the Palestinians. We do not seek a brief interlude between two wars. We do not seek a temporary respite between outbursts of terror," Netanyahu said.

But a row over settlements threatened to derail the fragile talks, as a top Palestinian official said that any resumption of Israeli settlement construction would spell the end of the peace talks.

"The settlements must be halted and continuing them will signal the end of the peace process," said Palestinian spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina.

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