US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged Tuesday to press hard for Palestinian statehood, putting Washington on a possible collision course with Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israeli President Shimon Peres kisses US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on her cheek as he gives her a bouquet of flowers at the end of a joint press conference after their meeting in Jerusalem Tuesday. [Agencies]
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"We happen to believe that moving towards a two-state solution is in Israel's best interests," Clinton, referring to the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, told a news conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.
"It is our assessment that eventually, the inevitability of working towards a two-state solution is inescapable," she said.
Netanyahu, whom Clinton was to meet later in the day, has spoken of Palestinian self-government but has shied away from saying he would back a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict.
Holding talks in Jerusalem after attending a donors' conference in Egypt for the Gaza Strip, Clinton reaffirmed the Obama administration's vision of Israeli-Palestinian peace.
"The United States will be vigorously engaged in the pursuit of a two-state solution every step of the way," Clinton said. "The road ahead, we acknowledge, is a difficult one, but there is no time to waste."
US to send envoys to Syria
At the news conference, Clinton also said the Obama administration would be sending two officials to Syria to discuss bilateral issues.
"We are going to be sending two officials to Syria. There are a number of issues that we have between Syria and the United States, as well as the larger regional concerns that Syria obviously poses," she said.
The administration of former president George W. Bush was criticized for making efforts in Middle East peacemaking too late. President Barack Obama has said it will be a priority and Clinton pledged to push on "many fronts" early on.
The Obama administration has been reviewing US policy towards Syria, including whether to return an ambassador to Damascus.
The US ambassador was pulled out of Syria after the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafif al-Hariri.
Last week, Clinton said it was too early to predict a thaw in ties after a senior US official met Imad Mustafa, Syria's ambassador in Washington.
But Mustafa said the meeting could herald a new chapter in relations and that Syria was open to discuss all issues.
A US-Syrian rapprochement could clear the way for Israel and Syria to restart indirect peace talks they held under Turkish mediation last year.
Clinton said once a new government is formed in Israel, following its Feb 10 election, the Israeli-Syrian peace track would be on the Obama administration's agenda.
Israel has conditioned a deal with Syria on Damascus cutting its ties with the Palestinian militant group Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement.
Agencies