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Clinton: Peace up to Israel, Palestinians

22 January 2010 01:22 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Ziya Agazade â€“ APA. After Obama says his administration overestimated its ability to persuade Israelis, Palestinians to resume peace talks, secretary of state stresses US ’going to continue to do everything in its power to create environment in which that is possible’.

"With respect to the Middle East, I think that you know we’re absolutely committed. It doesn’t matter whether it’s round two or round 20," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday in reference to the stalled peace process.

During a joint press conference with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, Clinton said, "We believe that this is a situation that deserves constant, persistent attention; that the absence of such attention perhaps created some of the difficulties that we are now encountering.

Earlier Thursday, US President Barack Obama said his administration overestimated its ability to persuade the Israelis and Palestinians to resume meaningful peace talks.

He said both parties have been unwilling to make the bold gestures needed to move the process forward. If the US had anticipated that earlier, the American leader said, he might not have raised his expectations so high.

Clinton also discussed the Iranian issue, telling reporters "this is not happening in a vacuum, this whole effort that we’re engaged in regarding influencing and restraining the Iranians’ nuclear program.