THE TELEGRAPH: The leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority concluded their first direct talks in nearly two years by agreeing to meet personally every two weeks in a bid to cement a peace deal in the Middle East within a year.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, and Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, held what was described as a "long and productive discussion" in which they concurred that they would start striving for a draft treaty.
George Mitchell, the US special envoy to the Middle East, said a "framework agreement" would include all the "core issues", such as Jewish settlements and the status of Jerusalem that have divided the two sides for so long.
He said the two leaders decided that the "logical next step was to begin agreeing a framework to establish the fundamental compromises to flesh out and complete a treaty".
"Both expressed an intent to approach negotiations in good faith and with a seriousness of purpose," he said, reporting on closed door meetings that followed a public ceremony at the US State Department. >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Tuesday, September 02, 2010
