US envoy Mitchell seeks European support for renewed push to resume Mideast peace talks

US envoy seeks European support for Mideast push

PARIS — U.S. envoy George Mitchell is asking for French and European Union support for a renewed push for peace in the Middle East.

Mitchell, on a visit to Paris, said Monday that “no one country, no one person can accomplish this objective alone.”

After meeting with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, he urged “a combined and concerted effort and partnership” with U.S. allies, including France, toward resuming peace negotiations that broke down in December 2008.

From Paris, Mitchell was to travel Brussels for meetings with his counterparts from the so-called Quartet of Mideast peacemakers — the U.S., the European Union, the United Nations and Russia — and European diplomats before a trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories later in the month.

Kouchner and Mitchell also discussed a French proposal to eventually host a Mideast peace conference, though no details of the discussions were released.

The Obama administration is gearing up for a fresh attempt to relaunch stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks after the effort hit a dead end last year.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Monday that “very serious consultations” are taking place to try to get the Middle East peace process back on track.

“I have been urging all the leaders, particularly the leaders of Israel and Palestine, to come back to the negotiating table,” he told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York.

“I know that there are some conditions and there are some political difficulties for parties to come to the dialogue table at this time. But it would be desirable that the parties remain inside the negotiation process…. This is very important,” he said.

The Palestinians say there is no point negotiating while Israel expands settlements on land that it wants for its country.

During this week’s meeting in Brussels, Ban said, the Quartet “will continue to discuss this matter as a top priority.”