Hillary Clinton in bid to stop collapse of Palestine peace talks

Published on Friday 24 September 2010 18:16

US SECRETARY of State Hillary Clinton spent nearly half an hour meeting with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in a bid to stop peace talks with Israel collapsing.

The Palestinians have threatened a walk-out if Israel does not extend a slowdown in West Bank settlement activity, which is due to expire tomorrow, opening the way for contested building work in the occupied territory to resume.

After Clinton's 25-minute meeting with Abbas, State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said efforts by President Barack Obama's administration to keep the talks alive would continue.

In a furious, last-minute round of diplomacy, the White House pressed Israel to extend the slowdown on settlements, while urging Abbas not to make good on his threat to quit the negotiating table.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he does not intend to extend the slowdown, but some Israeli officials have hinted a compromise could be reached.

Clinton met earlier in the week with Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak while US special Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell has been shuttling between the Israeli and Palestinian sides.