Clinton Sends Envoy to Middle EastUS President Bill Clinton is dispatching US mediator Dennis Ross to the Middle East in a late effort to achieve significant progress on peace between Israel and the Palestinians, a senior White House official said Sunday.The official said he believes both sides can narrow their differences, although he is not optimistic at reaching a final deal in the next two weeks. A deal that includes all the most contentious disputes would be "a difficult undertaking," said the official, who accompanied Clinton to New York, where the president was to address Middle East policy in a speech Sunday night to the Israel Policy Forum, a research group. "But we hope to continue to narrow the gap and move them closer together on a foundation on which they can build," the official said. Ross, expected in the region in the next few days, intends to meet separately with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to discuss "what is possible and advisable to do in the next 14 days," the official said. "I do think we can bring the parties closer together and I think that is worthwhile," the official said. |
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