Peres Says Mideast May Flare Up if Peace Talks Fail

W460

The Middle East could erupt into violence if the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapse, Israel's President Shimon Peres warned on Monday.

"It is crucial that these negotiations will be completed successfully," Peres said after meeting Romanian President Traian Basescu.

"A failure to do so would be tragic for the Middle East. The situation in the Middle East can flare up overnight if the talks fail."

Israel and the Palestinians embarked upon a nine-month track of direct negotiations at the urging of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, at the end of July.

But although the April deadline is looming, the talks appear to have made little visible progress. Currently, Kerry's main focus is trying to get the sides to agree on a framework to guide the negotiations forward in the coming months.

Basescu told the Israeli president it was a "crucial moment" in the talks.

"My main message is ratify the Kerry initiative and seize the opportunity at a time when the Middle East is on fire," he said.

"We honestly believe that everybody understands that this moment must be captured and used for the betterment of the nations," he said, acknowledging "the extreme difficulties of these negotiations".

The two men also discussed Iran's nuclear program and bilateral relations between Israel and Romania.

Comments 2
Missing phillipo 20 January 2014, 15:09

And what progress exactly will another Interfada bring to the Palestinians? More pain, more dead, more wounded, more shattered economy.

Thumb -phoenix1 20 January 2014, 15:46

Mr. Peres, who is obstructing peace but the Israelis? Who killed Yikhzak Rabin? Who derailed Oslo? Who killed Yasser Arafat after cornering him in his Mouqataa indefinitely? Who got Sharon into vegetative state then finally got rid of him? Which is the state, because of its repeated intransigence gives reason to all the world's madmen to make Jihad on behalf of the Palestinians, all of which serves no cause to the Palestinians but the Takfiris themselves? Who is confiscating Palestinian and building settlements in them but Israel? Who signs peace accords in the presence of top international dignitaries only to break them later on, and without the slightest hinder from anyone? Who is adopting a policy of apartheid but Israel? You really want peace Mr. Peres? Well, no one now needs it more than you, trust me, so you know the ropes, get started and stop the BS will you?