Israel's Defence Minister Ehud Barak stated on Monday he and America's Middle East envoy George Mitchell had made progress in their second round of talks in London. "I think there is progress. There's still a way to go," Barak told Reuters after the talks.
Barak described the talks as "a very good, constructive discussion" and said they had addressed all aspects of the Middle East peace process including the Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese tracks.
Barak, however, said he expected no imminent announcement on Israeli settlement building. "I think it will take still a few weeks before it will become clear," he noted. He nevertheless added he was optimistic about the chances of "preparing the ground for launching a major peace process."
In Washington, a senior American official was quoted as saying by Reuters that Obama administration is asking Arab governments whether they might ease sanctions on Israel if it halts settlement activities.
"I think the Americans are active on this issue," Barak commented on this issue. "While they are demanding from Israel steps and concessions in order to enable this regional peace effort to take off, they are approaching the Arabs as well and asking what they can contribute in terms of ... starting normalisation with Israel."
"We are looking and trying to find a formula (which) needs to show our readiness to be sensitive to the needs of others."
