JERUSALEM: Blair meets Israeli Defence and Foreign Ministers during Mideast trip aimed at kick-starting Israel-Palestinian peace talks

British Prime Minister Tony Blair met Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defence Minister Amir Peretz on Sunday (September 10) during his two-day visit to the region, aimed at reviving the Middle East peace negotiations. Blair met Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Saturday (September 9). At a joint news conference in Jerusalem Olmert told Blair he was ready to meet Abbas but stressed that securing the release of a soldier captured by Gaza militants was top of the agenda ahead of any meeting on a stalled peace "road map". Blair said he believed it would be possible to make progress on the road map, which has been held up by the failure of both Israelis and Palestinians to meet commitments. Livni also said recently that Israel should resume negotiations and meet Abbas. Olmert on Sunday met with his cabinet, where they discussed how best to exploit the presence of world leaders in the region as an opportunity to push the peace process forward. Tourism Minister Isaac Herzog told reporters, "The presence of so many world leaders in the region only shows there is perhaps an opportunity to move towards a peace process in the region. Usually after such a conflict there's a goodwill atmosphere and this goodwill atmosphere is prevailing in the region and we have to exploit it in the right direction." Blair is due to hold meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas later on Sunday. He's scheduled to hold a news conference in Ramallah at 1000gmt.

ITN Source | September 11, 2006

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