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WASHINGTON: The United States will have an "active and sustained role" in upcoming peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians, US envoy George Mitchell said Tuesday.
Ahead of the talks in Washington, Barack Obama's special envoy for the Middle East, said the US president had been determined to secure peace between Israel and the Palestinians ever since taking office.
"He has many, many important obligations, but he places a high priority on comprehensive peace in the Middle East," Mitchell said, briefing journalists ahead of Thursday's resumption of direct peace talks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas will hold separate meetings with Obama on Wednesday at the White House ahead of a dinner and the start of direct bilateral negotiations.
"The United States will play an active and sustained role in the process," said Mitchell.
"That does not mean that the United States must be physically represented in every single meeting. We recognise the value of direct, bilateral discussion between the parties and, in fact, will encourage that between the two leaders
on a regular basis."
"We will operate in a manner that is reasonable and sensible in the circumstances which exist, but the guiding principle will be an active and sustained United States presence."
Top level talks in search of an elusive Middle East peace deal broke off in 2008 when Israel invaded the Palestinian Gaza Strip to halt militant rocket fire on its south.
-AFP/wk
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