Push to renew Middle East peace talks

WASHINGTON -- The United States and the European Union vowed yesterday to press ahead with efforts to re-launch the moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

The prospects for a breakthrough were slim, however, as hopes dimmed for averting a confrontation over whether the United Nations should recognize Palestine as an independent country.

As they prepared to attend a meeting of the international diplomatic "quartet" of Mideast peacemakers, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said they remained committed to getting the two sides back to the table. They said negotiations are the only way to resolve the conflict and Clinton noted that negotiations were what led to the creation this weekend of the world's newest state, South Sudan.

"Sudan and South Sudan negotiated a peace agreement that led to independence," she told reporters at a joint news conference with Ashton. "That is what we're asking the Palestinians and the Israelis to do."

"What we strongly advocate is a return to negotiations, because a resolution, a statement, an assertion is not an agreement," she said. "And the path to two states living side by side in peace and security lies through direct negotiation. And the sooner the parties get back to that, the sooner there can be the result that many of us have worked for a long time."

Clinton and Ashton and their quartet partners -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov -- were to meet later over a working dinner to assess the situation and plot a way forward to restart the negotiations.

The goals for the dinner were modest as neither Israel nor the Palestinians have shown any sign they are ready to resume direct talks after nine months of inaction. Further complicating things, the meeting was being held as the Palestinians continue to lobby the UN General Assembly for recognition when it meets in September.