Egypt has urged the postponement of a meeting of the Arab League that is set to discuss the future of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, regional media reported on Friday.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is expected to convene with Arab foreign ministers on October 6 to decide whether to fulfill his threat to pull out from direct talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu over Israel's refusal to extend a freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank.
The meeting was initially scheduled for October 4, but was then postponed for 48 hours to give more time for U.S. and EU diplomats to persuade the Israelis and Palestinians to find a compromise to prevent the month-old peace talks from breaking down.
The Arab League talks are to take place in the organization's headquarters in Cairo on Wednesday - Armed Forces Day in Egypt.
Egypt, a key mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian talks, has proposed moving the meeting to the Libyan city of Sirt. The Arab League foreign ministers will meet there on October 8 to prepare an irregular summit of the Arab leaders due on October 9.
Direct peace talks between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders resumed on September 2 in Washington after being stalled for 20 months. Both Abbas and Netanyahu have expressed their intention to do their best to achieve a long-awaited peace.
The talks, however, came under threat after the 10-month partial moratorium on settlement construction in the West Bank expired on September 26, sparking fierce criticism from the Palestinians.
There are more than 400,000 Israelis living in some 120 settlements across the occupied Palestinian territory. Diplomats from the Middle East Quartet of international peace mediators have urged Netanyahu to halt settlement building to save the peace talks.
CAIRO, October 1 (RIA Novosti)
