TEMPO.CO, Washington - United States President Barack Obama met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the White House yesterday to discuss the progress of peace negotiations between Palestine and Israel.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said that the US president's message would be consistent with the one he gave to Netanyahu two weeks ago.
The US-proposed framework include sensitive issues related to Israel's status as a Jewish state, East Jerusalem as Palestine's capital, Palestinian refugees, Jewish settlement and Palestine-Israel borders.
Currently, no agreement on peace framework has been made as deadline approaches, with Israel demanding Palestine recognize it as a Jewish state and Palestine refusing to reach an agreement until Israel offers to establish pre-1967 borders. Palestine refuses to recognize Israel as Jewish state to protect the Muslim population, which constitutes 20 percent of Israels total population.
Despite the continuous pessimism expressed by Netanyahu's cabinet on the fate of the peace talks, Israeli President Simon Peres regards Mahmoud Abbas as a partner for peace. He believed that both states will be able reach an agreement before the deadline.
"Abu Mazen (Abbas) is a true partner for peace and a man of principle who opposes violence and terror," said Peres yesterday.
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