Israel, Palestine told not to derail talks

Jerusalem (PTI): Days after resumption of the much-awaited peace talks between Israel and Palestinians, UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday appealed to both sides to overcome "deep scepticism" and avoid actions that risk undermining the negotiations. "We must overcome the deep scepticism that comes from 20 years of stalemate," Ban said at a meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres here. "I urge all parties to avoid actions that risk undermining the negotiations," a statement quoted the UN Secretary General as saying.

"Both sides need to sustain an environment conducive for the peace process to move forward," he said, two days after peace talks resumed here. Ban urged all the parties involved in the peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians to refrain from doing anything that would undermine the peace negotiations, The Jerusalem Post reported.
He made the request at a news conference in Jerusalem immediately following the working meeting with Peres. Ban had made a similar request the previous day in Ramallah following his meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

This is his sixth visit to the region since taking office in 2007. Israel has legitimate security concerns and should not have to live in perpetual fear, said Ban, who noted that his current visit was "at a crucially important time".