US envoy meets Abbas on latest peace mission

US: US envoy George Mitchell was to meet Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on Wednesday after telling Israeli leaders Washington wants stalled Middle East peace talks to resume soon and wrap up quickly.

Earlier, Mitchell met Prime Minister Salam Fayyad as he continued his latest tour of the region, the first since US President Barack Obama's heralded Cairo address to the Muslim world last week.

On Tuesday, the US envoy met for four hours with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, half of that time one-on-one, as the hawkish premier prepares to lay out his government's peace policy in a speech on Sunday.

"We all share an obligation to create the conditions for the prompt resumption and early conclusion of negotiations," Mitchell said.

"We're now engaged in serious discussions with our Israeli and Palestinian and regional partners to support these efforts," said Mitchell, who also sought to play down tensions that have arisen between Israel and its close ally over Obama's push to restart the hobbled peace process.

Netanyahu has yet to publicly embrace the principle of a Palestinian state, and the Israeli press has been filled with speculation that he might finally do so on Sunday.

A day earlier, the premier held talks by phone with Obama that the White House described as constructive.

RAMALLAH, Wednesday, AFP