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Last update - 16:06 10/11/2009
French FM: It seems Israel no longer wants peace
By Reuters
Tags: Middle East peace process 

France fears that Israel no longer desires a Middle East peace deal, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on Tuesday, adding that Paris remained deeply opposed to settlement building in the West Bank.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held unusually low-profile talks with U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday and is due to meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday.

Speaking on France Inter radio, Kouchner made clear he was not expecting any swift break through in Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.
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"What really hurts me, and this shocks us, is that before there used to be a great peace movement in Israel. There was a left that made itself heard and a real desire for peace," Kouchner said.

"It seems to me, and I hope that I am completely wrong, that this desire has completely vanished, as though people no longer believe in it," he added.

When Sarkozy took office in 2007 he worked hard to improve sometimes frosty French relations with Israel, believing Paris would never be a credible partner in Middle East peace talks if it was seen as biased in favour of the Arab world.

However, relations with the Netanyahu government have not been easy and France has been especially vocal in demanding that Israel halt Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank.

Obama recently eased U.S. pressure on Israel over the settlements, calling for restraint in construction where he had earlier pushed for a freeze. But Kouchner signalled no such softening of French opposition.

"There is a real difference of opinion on this [between Sarkozy and Netanyahu]," he added.

Underlining their sometimes problematic ties, Kouchner belatedly cancelled a trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories last month. No official reason was given, but one French diplomat said Israel was making access to Gaza difficult.

Kouchner confirmed on Tuesday that he would now visit the region "in the coming days" and said he would use the trip to try to persuade Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to run for re-election in a ballot slated for January.

Abbas announced last week he would not seek a new mandate. France fears the younger generation of Palestinian politicians will be less committed to seeking a peace accord.

"We must revisit this with Mahmoud Abbas," Kouchner said.

Two days after Netanyahu's visit, Syrian President Bashar Assad will also be in Paris for talks with Sarkozy.

French officials have said the two meetings are not linked, seeking to kill off any speculation that France might try to act as middleman between the two nations.

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      1.   Actions of a government that does not want peace... 16:12  |  ben 10/11/09
      2.   After BIbi`s Beautiful Speech in Washington 17:05  |  Stephen 10/11/09
      3.   To the Canadian Ben of Toronto 17:08  |  indigenous 10/11/09
      4.   To the Canadian Ben of Toronto 17:16  |  Mike 10/11/09
      5.   Whjat Kouchner exactly said 17:24  |  Perplexed Belgia 10/11/09
      6.   Kouchner Has It Right 17:49  |  Vladek 10/11/09
      7.   to "indigenous", don`t you mean Shechem? 18:17  |  Amos 10/11/09
      8.   to #4 Mike, #3 Indigenous 18:17  |  Robin 10/11/09
      9.   After BIbi`s Beautiful Speech in Washington 18:24  |  Mark Lincoln 10/11/09
      10.   Its simple, HALT ALL SETTLEMENTS 18:48  |  Adam 10/11/09
      11.   amos 19:18  |  potobac 10/11/09
      12.   to #11 19:38  |  Mike 10/11/09
      13.   Nablus is occupied land 20:07  |  Basil 10/11/09
      14.   Amos.... 20:09  |  Silvienne 10/11/09
      15.   So Mr Kouchner , which is the problem , the left 21:03  |  TOMY 10/11/09
      16.   settlements 21:03  |  john Norman 10/11/09
      17.   What peace? 21:08  |  David 10/11/09
      18.   Peace? 21:16  |  robert 10/11/09
      19.   Arafat and his bombers destroyed the left. 21:40  |  David Plane 10/11/09
      20.   # 16 David Plane Arafat and his bombers destroyed the left. 22:10  |  Traude 10/11/09
      21.   mike 12 22:10  |  potobac 10/11/09
      22.   Potobac says that "times change" 22:19  |  SDHD 10/11/09
      23.   who can blame them 22:43  |  Philippe 10/11/09
      24.   to indeginious why are there road blocks and a fence ? 22:56  |  dovdevan 10/11/09
      25.   The desire for peace is stronger than ever in Israel 23:04  |  Chaim Ben Kahan 10/11/09
      26.   Arabs do not want peace 23:06  |  Baruch Gold 10/11/09
      27.   #17 Phillipe---please do provide proof of your claim 23:17  |  Labhras 10/11/09
      28.   #15 Surely John Norman you realise we Irish 23:26  |  Labhras 10/11/09
      29.   David Palne---it was the Israeli right who killed the Left 23:31  |  Labhras 10/11/09
      30.   Good! 23:34  |  TomTom 10/11/09
      31.   Ben: Actions of a government that does not want peace? 23:37  |  Hugh 10/11/09
      32.   Gaza still an occupied territory 23:42  |  C2 10/11/09
      33.   French always eager to appease 00:56  |  Chaim Ben Kahan 11/11/09
      34.   ben UH? 02:21  |  CJ 11/11/09
      35.   # 7 Amos.Unfortunately, Palestinians also indigenous 02:49  |  Ron 11/11/09
      36.   dovdevan - So the separation barrier wouldn`t work if it was 02:54  |  CJ 11/11/09
      37.   To dovdevan.. 03:43  |  cruize 11/11/09
      38.   mike 12 04:36  |  potobac 11/11/09
      39.   The censorship of quotes from Haaretz 04:36  |  Mark Lincoln 11/11/09
      40.   hey Israelis 06:10  |  shamim 11/11/09
      41.   It seems Israel no longer wants peace 09:25  |  Dan Hadan 11/11/09
      42.   This is true.So confrontation will continue,but HOW LONG? 17:01  |  Gerard De Casaneuve. 11/11/09
      43.   What Bibi wantsis a S.o Palestine 17:15  |  Dan Gabrieli 11/11/09
      44.   Next Steps 17:26  |  Gordon Bird 11/11/09
      45.   Kaham #25 et al. 19:11  |  bob 11/11/09
      46.   Gerard De Casaneuve 19:25  |  Philippe 11/11/09
      47.   sdhd 22 02:05  |  potobac 12/11/09
      48.   What about another 10 million Jews (or more)? 17:27  |  Max 12/11/09
      49.   #16 john Norman. False analogies wont`t do it. 01:18  |  Ron 15/11/09
      50.   #13 Basil. Some confusion about origin of Palestinians. 02:18  |  Ron 15/11/09
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