Netanyahu to work on peace policy

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

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Speaking at the first meeting of his Cabinet, Netanyahu said he planned to appoint an inner Cabinet yesterday to deal with the nation's most pressing security and political issues, according to an account by The Associated Press. "In the coming weeks, we shall complete our policy guidelines for progress on peace and security," he said.

Netanyahu has sent mixed signals about his diplomatic program in recent weeks. Elected on a platform highly critical of his predecessor's peace talks with the Palestinians, he took a softer line when he was sworn into office last week, telling parliament he would pursue a "full peace" with the Arab and Muslim world.

However, Netanyahu has given few details about his program and has so far refused to endorse the idea of an independent Palestinian state.

Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Iraq yesterday on the first visit by a Palestinian leader since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003, according to an account by Agence France-Presse. It is Abbas's first official visit to the country and comes six years after U.S. forces toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, as the nation attempts to rebuild and consolidate its fledgling democracy.