U.S. Looking For Way Forward In Faltering Mideast Peace Talks
(Reuters) - The Obama administration scrambled on Wednesday to rescue faltering Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations after what it called "unhelpful, unilateral actions" by both sides.
A surprise decision by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday to sign more than a dozen international conventions that could give Palestinians greater leverage against Israel left the United States searching for a way to keep the talks going past an April 29 deadline.
"We are disappointed by the unhelpful, unilateral actions that both parties have taken in recent days," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters aboard Air Force One, as President Barack Obama headed to Michigan.
He said Secretary of State John Kerry was "in close touch with our negotiating team, which remains on the ground in the region to continue discussions with the parties". Israeli and Palestinian negotiators planned to meet on Wednesday night with U.S. envoy Martin Indyk, sources familiar with the talks said.
In its first comment on the crisis, Israel said it was up to Abbas to resolve the standoff, which has imperiled Kerry's eight-month-old peace effort.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/02/us-palestinian-israel-usa-idUSBREA301ZE20140402