CAIRO — Israel, Syria, Lebanon and other Arab nations would sit down together to try to resolve the Middle East conflict under a new "combined approach” currently under discussion with the U.S., Jordan’s King Abdullah said Wednesday.
The idea is the latest indication that the Obama administration is trying to build on the shared interest of its Arab allies and Israel in blunting the threat from Iran. As part of the new strategy, Arab diplomats said this week that the U.S. has asked the 22-member Arab League to amend a 2002 peace initiative to make it more palatable to Israel.
An Israeli official welcomed the involvement of the Arab allies in the talks.
"We believe their more direct involvement in the peace process can be positive and can help energize the process,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Obama administration’s efforts to start a dialogue with Iran have sent ripples of concern through the capitals of America’s Arab allies, who accuse Tehran of playing a destabilizing role in the region.
Abdullah also suggested a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would make 57 Muslim nations that do not recognize Israel go into direct negotiations with the Israelis. That was an apparent reference to the Saudi-based Organization of the Islamic Conference, a group that Iran plays a key role in.
by the associated press
No comments:
Post a Comment