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AMMAN, Jan. 24 -- The United States is committed to comprehensive Middle East peace and the two-state solution which stipulates the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian state, U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell said on Sunday. "President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the U.S. are fully committed to a comprehensive peace in the Middle East," Mitchell told reporters following a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Jordanian capital of Amman. They discussed efforts to restart the stalled Palestinian- Israeli peace talks. Mitchell's remarks come just a few days after U.S. President Obama said the U.S. administration had "overestimated" its ability to persuade the Israelis and Palestinians to resume "meaningful" peace talks. In an interview with Time magazine on Friday, Obama said that both parties have been unwilling to make the "bold gestures" needed to move the peace process forward. If the U.S. had anticipated that earlier, he might not have raised his expectations so high. In Amman on Sunday, Mitchell also emphasized his country's support for the two-state solution, which envisages the creation of an independent and viable Palestinian state that lives side by side with Israel in peace and security, labelling the two-state formula as the "only realistic solution to the conflict." The U.S. envoy emphasized his country's commitment to ending the decades-long conflict, calling on the Arab states to commit to a full normalization with Israel as part of the solution to the conflict. According to chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, Abbas reiterated commitment to peace during the meeting with Mitchell and called on Israel to stop settlement activities. The Palestinians demand a complete freeze of Israeli settlement activities before resuming peace talks. On Saturday, King Abdullah II of Jordan met with Mitchell and discussed means on how to overcome impediments against the resumption of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, the state-run Petra news agency reported. The Jordanian leader stressed the significance of continued efforts by the U.S. to resume peace talks effectively and realize the two-state solution. Special Report: Palestine-Israel Conflicts |
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