11/4/2009 9:48 AM
ET
(RTTNews) -
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended in Cairo Washington's stance that it does not accept the legitimacy of new Israeli settlements.
Addressing a joint press conference Wednesday with her Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Clinton said the U.S. government wants to see the construction of West Bank enclaves halted "forever."
She spoke after talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during a hastily arranged stopover in the Egyptian capital to appease Arab concerns that Washington is backing off demands to its ally for a settlement halt.
Cairo was the last stop of Clinton's Middle East tour to revive peace talks.
However, she described an Israeli offer to restrain construction as "positive movement forward" toward resuming Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Insisting that Washington's "policy on settlement has not changed," the top U.S. diplomat told reporters that "We do not accept the legitimacy of settlement activity. Ending all settlement activity current and future would be preferable."
Jewish settlements in the West Bank remains one of the major hurdles for the revival of Middle East peace talks.
Israeli leadership is reluctant to commit to the sensitive issue of halting settlement construction, a key demand the US has made of its ally.
While Washington and Palestinian President Mehmoud Abbas call for a total freeze on settlements, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the idea, saying "natural growth" of settlements must be allowed. He says Israel will build no new settlements in the West Bank, but will continue construction inside existing ones to accommodate population expansion.
Gheit said the Mubarak-Clinton talks showed a common understanding between the two countries on several issues and expressed confidence that it would have "clear benefits and results in the future."
by RTT Staff Writer
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