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U.S. Envoy to Meet Abbas in Paris

The United States' special envoy for Middle East peace, David Hale, will meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas during his visit to Paris, the U.S. embassy here said Thursday.

"Hale is going to meet with Abbas," embassy spokesman Paul Patin told Agence France Presse. He could not say when the meeting would take place or provide other details.

Abbas is to meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on Friday to discuss efforts to re-launch the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the Palestinian bid to gain state recognition at the United Nations.

The Middle East Quartet -- the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union -- has called for a resumption of negotiations.

Israel has accepted with reservations a plan proposed by Quartet envoy Tony Blair.

But the Palestinians say there will be no negotiations until Israel freezes settlement -- a demand they say is written into the Quartet proposal.

Source: Agence France Presse


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