Ramallah: US Middle East envoy George Mitchell is to meet Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah on March 8, a Palestinian official has said.
"President Abbas is to hold talks next Monday with George Mitchell in Ramallah," chief negotiator Saeb Erakat said yesterday, without giving details.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, welcomed Arab backing at a foreign ministers' meeting in Cairo earlier yesterday for indirect peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
Washington hopes the talks will begin soon, Hillary said during a visit to Brazil, confirming that Mitchell would play a central role.
The Arab foreign ministers agreed to back one last round of indirect talks despite scepticism over Israel's readiness to revive peace efforts, Arab League chief Amr Mussa said in Cairo.
"We were very pleased by the endorsement that came out of Cairo today, that came out of the Arab follow-up group with respect to the proximity talks. We hope that they will begin soon," Hillary told reporters in Brasilia.
"Senator Mitchell will be deeply involved in those talks," she added.'
PTI
First Published: Thursday, March 04, 2010, 09:02