Israel and Palestine close to peace?

Updated 18.34 Sun Jul 13 2008
Keywords: Nicolas Sarkozy, Ehud Olmert, Israel, Palestine

The Israel leader, Ehud Olmert, has said Israel and Palestine have never been so close to a peace agreement.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy hosted talks with Mr Olmert and the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, at a meeting of a 43-nation Union for the Mediterranean.

"It seems to me that we have never been as close to the possibility of reaching an accord as we are today" - Israel's leader, Ehud Olmert

Mr Olmert said the fact that everyone will be in the same room for the same meeting is in itself an historic event.

Mr Sarkozy said: "The goal of this summit for the Mediterranean, of this Union for the Mediterranean, is that we learn to love each other instead of continuing to hate each other and wage war."

Mr Olmert, keen to talk up peace prospects as he clings to office in the face of serious corruption allegations, told reporters: "It seems to me that we have never been as close to the possibility of reaching an accord as we are today."

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was to attend the opening conference with over 40 other leaders including Olmert -- the first time Israeli and Syrian leaders will have been in the same room. The two countries recently began indirect peace talks with Turkish mediation.

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