peace talks

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Construction Begins as Settlement Freeze Expires

But Mahmoud Abbas not leaving peace talks yet

(Newser) - Bulldozers were already working to construct Jewish West Bank settlements this morning, after Israel’s construction freeze expired at midnight, but Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas did not immediately abandon the peace talks as he had threatened. Abbas will instead consult with Arab leaders and allow another week before making a...

Clock Ticking, US Scrambles to Save Mideast Talks

Israelis already celebrating end of settlement slowdown

(Newser) - With Palestinians threatening to walk away from Mideast peace talks, officials in Washington are scrambling to rescue the negotiations just hours before a slowdown on West Bank settlement construction expires. "They are talking. Intense efforts are ongoing," said one anonymous official. PM Benjamin Netanyahu has called for "...

Karzai to Taliban: Join Peace Talks

Afghan president calls on Taliban leader to stop fighting

(Newser) - Hamid Karzai has officially invited Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar to take part in Afghan peace talks. The Afghan president hopes Omar "gives up fratricide, gives up bombings and blasts, stops causing casualties to Afghanistan's children, women, and men" and instead "joins the peace process," he said...

Karzai's Peace Plan: Exile Taliban Leaders

Plan calls for "deradicalization" classes, jobs

(Newser) - Taliban leaders would be allowed to go peacefully into exile, while their warriors would be given jobs and “deradicalization” classes under a new peace plan that will be proposed later this month by Hamid Karzai's government in Afghanistan. The write-up seen by the Guardian refers to Taliban fighters as...

Courthouse Bombed in Northern Ireland

Attack aimed at disrupting peace process

(Newser) - A car bomb exploded outside a courthouse in Northern Ireland last night, though no one was injured. Phone tipsters warned authorities, but the bomb exploded as police were in the midst evacuating the area. A commander said it was "a sheer miracle" that nobody was killed. An IRA splinter...

Afghan Peace Talks Hinge on US Pullout

Militants negotiate with intermediaries, but no likely deals yet

(Newser) - Peace talks are under way in Afghanistan between militant leaders and intermediaries, but the insurgent groups—which include the Taliban—continue to insist on US withdrawal as a condition for peace, the New York Times reports. The Afghan government is backing the talks and optimistic about American backing, even as...

Mitchell Pushes Two-State Solution in Israel

Palestinians must first accept Jewish state, Netanyahu responds

(Newser) - The Obama administration’s envoy to the Middle East told the Israeli government today that Washington will “vigorously pursue” the creation of a Palestinian state, Reuters reports. George Mitchell stated America’s purpose as a means to organize statehood talks with Israel; PM Benjamin Netanyahu said it would first...

Despite 'Skepticism,' Blair Nudges Netanyahu on Talks

Urges negotiations for two-state solution, more freedom for Palestinians

(Newser) - Though “there is a great deal of skepticism out there” about the motivation of Israel’s new prime minister, Middle East envoy Tony Blair today encouraged Benjamin Netanyahu to resume Palestinian peace talks amid efforts to improve the West Bank’s economy, Reuters reports. A “credible political negotiation...

Prepare for War: New Israeli Foreign Minister

Lieberman douses Palestinian peace hopes in debut speech

(Newser) - Israel’s new foreign minister, a renowned hawk, wasted no time in drumming up war rhetoric. On his first day on the job, Avigdor Lieberman said, “Those who want peace should prepare for war,” as he dismissed his predecessor’s negotiations with the Palestinians, the New York Times...

US, Iran Meet in Moscow on Afghanistan Peace

Officials talk terror, drug trafficking

(Newser) - American and Iranian officials gathered in Moscow for Afghanistan peace talks, highlighting a warming of US-Tehran relations under President Obama, reports the Times of London. “We’ve turned a page to have Iranians and Americans at the same table all discussing Afghanistan,” said Russia’s foreign minister at...

Seeking Talks, US May Allow Taliban Political Party

Some could run for office, but power-sharing impossible: diplomat

(Newser) - In an effort to establish a dialogue with the Taliban, the US may allow the militant group to create a political party or be represented by election candidates, the Guardian reports. Other options include removing Taliban leaders from UN blacklists, releasing prisoners, and revising Afghanistan’s constitution. But there’s...

Taliban Mullahs Reject Karzai's Offer of Talks

Militants say they won't deal until foreign troops withdraw

(Newser) - Taliban leaders have rejected Hamid Karzai's guarantee of safe passage in exchange for beginning peace talks, reports Reuters. The militants instead reiterated demands for all foreign troops to leave Afghanistan before any negotiating begins—a condition the Afghan president rejected as unacceptable. Some analysts don't see Mullah Mohammad Omar's rejection...

Russia-Georgia Talks Break Down

UN court tells nations not to target breakaway groups

(Newser) - Georgia-Russia peace talks broke down today when Russian officials skipped a plenary session, Reuters reports, and the two sides failed even to agree on whether to include officials from South Ossetia and Abkhazia in the closed-door meeting. Each side bitterly blamed the other amid continuing tensions emanating from the five-day...

Taliban Breaks al-Qaeda Ties, Talks Peace: Report

Afghans deny secret Saudi-backed dialogue

(Newser) - The Taliban has broken all ties with al-Qaeda and engaged in peace talks with the Afghan government, CNN reports. The talks, held from Sept. 24-27 in Saudi Arabia, mark the first attempt to negotiate an end to the war in Afghanistan. But both Afghan and Taliban spokesmen are denying the...

Israel Releases 198 Palestinians
 Israel Releases 198 Palestinians
Aug 25, 2008 9:09 AM CDT

Israel Releases 198 Palestinians

Freed prisoners intended to shore up Fatah PM Abbas; some in Israel fuming

(Newser) - Israel today released 198 Palestinian prisoners in an effort to bolster Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, the AFP reports. The release, on the eve of a visit by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, included two prisoners held since the late 1970s who were convicted of murdering Israelis. One of them,...

Abbas Calls for Renewed Talks With Hamas

About-face signals frustration with Bush-led peace talks

(Newser) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas offered an unexpected olive branch to Hamas yesterday, reports the New York Times. Abbas, in control of only the West Bank since the Islamic militant group seized Gaza last year, said it was time for national unity talks aimed at forming a new government. The move...

Israel Confirms Peace Talks With Syria

Olmert ready to give up Golan; Israelis may disapprove

(Newser) - Israel and Syria have been holding secret peace talks, with Turkey as the middleman, the two sides announced today, acknowledging for the first time the long-rumored negotiations. Syria is technically at war with Israel over the Golan Heights, which the Israelis seized in 1967. Israel is ready to give the...

India Locks Down Jaipur After Bombs Kill 80

City locked down to prevent Hindu/Muslim clashes

(Newser) - Police have locked down the old city of Jaipur today after seven bomb blasts killed at least 80 people yesterday, the AP reports. Police in the western Indian city suspect Islamic terrorists were behind the carnage and have imposed the curfew to prevent any retaliatory violence from the city's Hindu...

Police Probe of Olmert Plagues Rice Peace Trip

Investigation could trip up peace deal Rice calls 'achievable'

(Newser) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's talks in Jerusalem yesterday to bolster the Mideast peace process were overshadowed by an intensifying police investigation into activities by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, reports the New York Times. A court gag order is keeping investigation details under wraps, but observers indicate the probe...

Dalai Lama Reps Visit China for Peace Talks

Trip marks first contact between sides since violent protests began

(Newser) - Representatives for the Dalai Lama head to China today for talks on restoring peace between the two sides, the BBC reports. The visit marks the first contact between the exiled leader and Chinese officials since pro-Tibet protests turned violent in March. The envoys will discuss the Dalai Lama’s “...

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