Just days before the end of the freeze on Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Israel to extend the moratorium to allow further peace talks with the Palestinians.
The statement came on Monday during a meeting between Ban and Israeli President Shimon Peres in New York, where the 65th session of the UN General Assembly is under way.
The Israeli government's 10-month moratorium on the construction of Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory expires on September 26. The Palestinians have threatened that if construction continues after the freeze is over, they would withdraw from direct peace talk with Israel that resumed recently after being stalled for 20 month.
The issue of Jewish settlements has been one of the major sticking points that have prevented peace in the Middle East.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, the Israeli president indicated that Tel Aviv was not going to extend the moratorium, but expressed hope that negotiators would find a way to continue dialogue.
Some analysts believe that even if the freeze is not extended, the Israeli government could be reluctant to give permissions for the construction of new settlements in the West Bank.
Ban's call on Israel came on the eve of a Quartet meeting, which will take place in New York later on Tuesday. The Quartet, comprising Russia, the United States, the United Nations and the European Union, is mediating the Middle East peace process.
Ban, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Catherine Ashton, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs, will take part in the meeting.
On Monday, Ban also discussed the Middle East agenda with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and King Abdullah II of Jordan. Jordan, along with Egypt, is facilitating the Israeli-Palestinian direct peace talks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas have already met three times since the talks resumed in Washington on September 2. During their first meeting, Abbas and Netanyahu agreed to meet each two weeks to reach a peace deal within a year.
UNITED NATIONS, September 21 (RIA Novosti)
