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U.S. envoy in Middle East for peace effort

21 January 2011 01:27 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. U.S. deputy envoy for Middle East peace David Hale is engaged in shuttle diplomacy in the region for talks with officials from various players in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said the State Department on Thursday, APA reports quoting Xinhua News agency.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Hale on Thursday met in Jerusalem with Quartet envoys from the European Union, Russia and the United Nations to prepare for the principals meeting in Munich, Germany on February 5th.

He said Hale also met separately with Israeli chief negotiator Yitzhak Molcho, continuing discussions they had last week in Washington. He’ll also meet on Saturday with Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat in Amman, capital of Jordan.

Hale will also meet with senior Jordanian and Egyptian officials over the weekend, Toner added.

The U.S. effort to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to face-to-face negotiations has been dealt with a major blow after the direct talks, which started on Sept. 2 in Washington, have halted because Israel refuses to extend moratorium on West Bank settlement activities.

It is still unclear how and when the direct talks, deemed by the United States as crucial for the Middle East peace agreement, can resume.