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Netanyahu invites Abbas to resume peace talks

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-07-12 23:21

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday called for a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as soon as possible in order to resume Israeli- Palestinian peace talks.

"Let's make peace -- both diplomatic peace and economic peace," Netanyahu was quoted by local daily The Jerusalem Post as saying at the start of a cabinet meeting in Beersheba in southern Israel, which was held there to show solidarity with the Negev capital.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting in the southern city of Beersheba July 12, 2009. [Agencies]

"There is no reason for which we can't meet, Abbas and me, anywhere in Israel, and since we are in Beersheba, I say, let's meet here," said the Israeli prime minister.

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Netanyahu said "The Palestinian people living next to us have a basic right to live with peace, security and prosperity," adding "in recent weeks, we have made great efforts to ease their lives. We've removed many roadblocks, we've decided to increase the operating hours of the Allenby Bridge for more goods, and I decided to advance a series of projects with the Palestinians to promote peace."

"But all these efforts can only bring us to a certain point, and the results will be multiplied by the dozen if there is cooperation from the other side," asserted the Israeli prime minister.

In addition to Palestinian leaders, Netanyahu also reached out to Arab countries, saying that "Let's meet, let's cooperate... We have the ability to bring many players on board."

In June, Netanyahu delivered his foreign policy speech, during which he called on the Palestinians to resume peace talks without preconditions.

However, the Palestinian side has repeatedly said peace talks with Israel can not resume until Netanyahu halts settlement activities and accepts the two-state solution.