Israel PM vows to talk peace wIth Abbas

Agence France-Presse

In a phone call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Netanyahu "spoke of the cooperation and the discussions that they have had in the past and added that he intends to do so again in the future in order to advance peace between us and the Palestinians," a statement from his office said. Abbas had called Netanyahu for the Jewish holiday of Passover and the two had a "friendly and warm" conversation, it said. The statement did not mention the creation of a Palestinian state - an idea that Israel had committed itself to under a 2003 international "Road Map" peace plan but that Netanyahu currently opposes.

Abbas insists that Israel's new government must commit to a two-state solution before the resumption of peace talks, and Israel's staunch ally Washington has also repeatedly reaffirmed its support for a Palestinian state.

A senior official from Abbas's office would only say that the president had called Netanyahu to "congratulate him on Passover." It was Netanyahu's first statement on the peace since he took office on April 1 at the helm of a right-wing cabinet that has sparked concern over the fate of the stalled talks.