Al Jazeera (Qatar) : "US kick-starts Middle East talks"

US kick-starts Middle East talks  

The United States has launched a fresh drive to restart the Middle East peace process by sending three senior officials to the region.

The officials - George Mitchell, the envoy to the Middle East,  Robert Gates, the defence secretary, and Jim Jones, the national security advisor - will deal with issues ranging from Jewish settlements to Iran's nuclear ambitions.

The visits are seen as a strong signal from Barack Obama, the US president, to keep Israeli-Arab peacemaking high on his agenda.

Gates said after meeting Ehud Barak, his Israeli counterpart, that they had a "good meeting" during which he reaffirmed the US's strong commitment to the security of Israel.

He said they discussed regional security challenges both countries face - from terrorism to Iran's nuclear ambitions.

'Steadfast support'

"As part of our steadfast support to Israel, the US continues to provide a robust annual military assistance package," Gates said.

"We are contributing both.......................
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http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/07/20097276..........