WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is sending his special Middle East peace envoy to Europe next week for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aimed at quickly restarting negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, two U.S. officials said Tuesday.
The envoy, former Sen. George Mitchell, plans to meet Netanyahu in Paris in what will be their first face-to-face talks since the prime minister's major policy speech Sunday, the officials said. In his speech, Netanyahu voiced support for Palestinian independence but attached conditions for statehood that have been rejected by the Palestinians.
The officials, both of whom are familiar with Mitchell's travel plans, spoke on condition of anonymity because the itinerary for the as-yet unannounced trip was not yet finalized.
Speaking to reporters at the State Department on Tuesday, Mitchell himself did not discuss his upcoming trip but said he was hopeful that discussions he is now having with Israeli, Palestinian and other Arab leaders about resuming peace talks would be completed soon. After that, he said the Obama administration would announce its plans for new negotiations.
"To me, it's a matter of weeks, not many months," Mitchell said of the current discussions. He indicated that it could be before the end of July.
Mitchell has made four trips to the Middle East since he was named special envoy for Middle East peace in Obama's first week in office.
Mitchell said he was encouraged by Netanyahu's speech, in which the prime minister said a future Palestine would have to be demilitarized and that the Palestinians must recognize Israel as a Jewish state -- in effect rejecting Palestinian refugees' claims to properties lost at the time of Israel's establishment in 1948. Netanyahu also ruled out shared control of Jerusalem and defied the U.S. call to halt settlement expansion.
Netanyahu's speech was roundly criticized by the Palestinians, Arab leaders and liberal commentators at home who were disappointed by its many caveats and vagueness.
Obama gave it a cautious welcome, noting "there were a lot of conditions" but that it raised "at least the possibility that we can restart serious talks." And Mitchell said it marked an advance for the peace process, since Israel and the Palestinians both are now on record in support of a two-state solution.
"There now is a common objective, which was not the case until that speech was made," Mitchell said.
