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President Shimon Peres, left, meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo on Sunday.
 (AP)
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Last update - 20:04 08/12/2009
Peres: Israel to halt settlements once peace talks begin
By Jonathan Lis, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and Reuters
Tags: Egypt, Gilad Shalit 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has pledged to halt West Bank settlement construction once peace talks with the Palestinians are renewed, President Shimon Peres said on Sunday during an official visit to Egypt.

"The minute we shall start to negotiate there won't be new settlements, there won't be confiscation of land," Peres said at a joint news conference in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, adding that the settlements issue was being blown out of proportion.

"Unfortunately, it's a marginal issue; it is some building of houses that became a central issue for the wrong reasons. My answer is even this issue can be settled by negotiations and agreement," Peres said, calling for a swift restart to talks.
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During the press conference, Peres also said that Israel and the Palestinians are able to bridge their differences and reach a peace agreement.

Mubarak emphasized during their talks that the future of Jerusalem, which both Israelis and Palestinians claim as their capital, was an issue of concern for the entire Islamic world.

"I expressed my concern to President Peres that peace talks have not progressed since our last meeting in July and that Egypt is looking forward to an Israeli response, such as halting the building of settlements in east Jerusalem," he said.

Mubarak urged Israel to take "courageous decisions" to push forward peace.

"We want an end to settlement in occupied lands including East Jerusalem and to resume the negotiations about all the issues on the final status, from where they stopped," he said.

"I say peace is still possible. The need is growing for the political will from Israel's side that is conscious of the regional situation and realizes the dangers of losing the peace opportunity and that it [should] take courageous decisions."

Israeli government sources said prior to the meeting that it had nothing to do with a breakthrough in a deal for the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, and would deal with the peace process and other bilateral issues.

Following the meeting at the presidential palace, Mubarak was scheduled to host Peres for lunch together with Egyptian political and military leaders. Peres is expected to return to Israel Sunday evening.

Meanwhile, Mubarak on Saturday accused Israel of undermining the peace process, the Kuwait News Agency reported.

"You are placing new obstacles in the path to peace through your call to recognize the Jewish character of the state, to negotiate on interim borders for the Palestinian state and ruling out Al-Quds from the final status negotiations," Mubarak was quoted as saying in his address to mark a new legislative term.

The Egyptian leader also urged Israel to lift the siege of Gaza and to answer calls for peace "within a specified time frame and [with] clear guarantees."

Egypt, which has been working to mediate reconciliation between Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah, has not lost hope, he said.
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  1.   Peres and Mubarak, truly 2 "shining examples"..... 09:24  |  Swiss (Dino) 22/11/09
  2.   A sunday visit to Cairo. 13:52  |  Stephen. 22/11/09
  3.   Peres for Peace? 14:06  |  Ivan Martin 22/11/09
  4.   No new settlements 14:50  |  Chris Linthwaite 22/11/09
  5.   No one can speak in the name of the Arabs ... 15:42  |  Akram Zekaria 22/11/09
  6.   Bridging Gaps, why not now? 16:16  |  Osama 22/11/09
  7.   Love how he blames Israel for "the siege" 16:30  |  Lee 22/11/09
  8.   peres remains in cloud cuckoo land since 1967 16:37  |  vhardman 22/11/09
  9.   ???? 16:46  |  Chaphari 22/11/09
  10.   Not good enough 16:52  |  Natallie Durson 22/11/09
  11.   #7 vhardman 17:05  |  H 22/11/09
  12.   We will stop confiscating your land. 17:06  |  WHG 22/11/09
  13.   Shimon DoubleSpeak 17:18  |  jake 1948 22/11/09
  14.   Peres part of the problem 17:38  |  John 22/11/09
  15.   Egypt can lift its own Gaza siege 17:49  |  suisse 22/11/09
  16.   Only Netanyahu Rules 18:04  |  Mark Lincoln 22/11/09
  17.   Who Does The West Bank or Gaza belong to? I have not heard 18:11  |  Phinias Whoppy 22/11/09
  18.   Re: Natallie Durson and "tenuous" peace 18:16  |  Maoz 22/11/09
  19.   Could you blame one for hating Israeli State 18:19  |  Tzivi 22/11/09
  20.   How Many Times Have We Heard That Lie? 18:30  |  Whoop de doo 22/11/09
  21.   Re:Who Does The West Bank or Gaza belong to? I have not heard 18:32  |  Whoop de doo 22/11/09
  22.   Peres and the settlements 18:34  |  Philip 22/11/09
  23.   #15 Suisse: Control of Rafah 18:34  |  Pierre S 22/11/09
  24.   Peres is a figurehead what ever he says 18:40  |  Peter 22/11/09
  25.   Land for a Hudna? Shared Capital? ROR? No Thanks 18:44  |  Jason 22/11/09
  26.   Arab Peace-Israel surrender or military defeat or Western boycott 18:46  |  Sam 22/11/09
  27.   Misleading: Settlement Construction Will Still Go On 19:17  |  Ed 22/11/09
  28.   Pierre S #23. Hogwash. Only Egypt and Hamas control Rafah 19:20  |  Phinias Whoppy 22/11/09
  29.   Jason - Indonesia acceded to East Timor. 19:43  |  CJ 22/11/09
  30.   TELL MUBARAK TO SHUT UP 19:49  |  Ian 22/11/09
  31.   Why Not Halt Them Before ... 19:56  |  Boyd 22/11/09
  32.   Israeli`s and Palestinians Argue like Petulant Spoiled Brats 19:57  |  John Q. Public 22/11/09
  33.   23 Pierre, Islamist mind control 20:38  |  suisse 22/11/09
  34.   CJ, the palestinians was never a nation ... 20:50  |  Akram Zekaria 22/11/09
  35.   #29 CJ Just a question 21:15  |  H 22/11/09
  36.   marginal issue 21:24  |  Reno 22/11/09
  37.   Durson lives the Palestinian propaganda dream 21:30  |  Joe Sittizen 22/11/09
  38.   Durson lives the Palestinian propaganda dream 21:30  |  Joe Sittizen 22/11/09
  39.   #33 Suisse, Mind Control 21:33  |  Pierre S 22/11/09
  40.   Taking the Pals at their own game, nice one! 21:37  |  Bow down for Peres 22/11/09
  41.   Akram Zekerie --maybe so---but they are now 21:44  |  Labhras 22/11/09
  42.   Chris, Dino, and other leftist loonies 21:45  |  Ki`emli 22/11/09
  43.   Jerusalem and the christian world 21:45  |  ben 22/11/09
  44.   #28 Phineas and Hogwash 21:55  |  Pierre S 22/11/09
  45.   Doesn`t Peres grasp how ridiculous is his message in Egypt...? 22:59  |  Esther 22/11/09
  46.   No peace talks 23:21  |  Jim 22/11/09
  47.   Hey ! What`s going on ? 23:38  |  The Teacher/Instruct 22/11/09
  48.   This is just so much duplicitous nonsense. 23:53  |  Johnboy 22/11/09
  49.   #6 Osama 23:55  |  Jim 22/11/09
  50.   senile presidents have no say in government policy making 00:06  |  zionist forever 23/11/09
  51.   #9 Chaphan 00:13  |  Jim 23/11/09
  52.   Peres has full authority to eat lunch. No authority to negotiate. 00:15  |  Disgusted American 23/11/09
  53.   Peres 00:41  |  Brod 23/11/09
  54.   Bible says secular leaders see their own selves as grasshoppers l 00:44  |  apologize 4 breathin 23/11/09
  55.   MID EAST CONFLICKS 01:25  |  COBY 23/11/09
  56.   #10 Natalie Durson# 01:31  |  Jim 23/11/09
  57.   Peres & his broadcast system that never stop ... 01:35  |  Akram Zekaria 23/11/09
  58.   #34 Akram sees through his own prism 01:38  |  Johnboy 23/11/09
  59.   "courageous decisions" 01:42  |  Moses 23/11/09
  60.   #32 John Q. Public 01:50  |  Jim 23/11/09
  61.   Courageous decisions 02:03  |  WHG 23/11/09
  62.   "...there won`t be `NEW` settlements..." Deceitful snake! 02:16  |  Dissident Jew 23/11/09
  63.   Either Peres or Dhimmedias are misguiding . 02:20  |  Joseph .E 23/11/09
  64.   #34 Akram Zekaria 02:35  |  Jim 23/11/09
  65.   #39 Moses 03:04  |  Jim 23/11/09
  66.   Lee # 7 do you know what a siege is? 03:21  |  American in NY 23/11/09
  67.   The jew mauricio macri 03:22  |  Norberto 23/11/09
  68.   # 9 Chaphari 04:22  |  ben 23/11/09
  69.   #31 because boyd, lol...netanyahu is capitulating to obama... 04:26  |  eric 23/11/09
  70.   44~Jim : The fact was NOT overlooked ... 04:49  |  Akram Zekaria 23/11/09
  71.   Akram Zekaria An entity is not obliged to declare statehood 05:28  |  CJ 23/11/09
  72.   American in NY - The Grren line is not a border. 05:36  |  CJ 23/11/09
  73.   38~Johnboy you must be lost in composing nonsense ! 05:56  |  Akram Zekaria 23/11/09
  74.   Akram Zekaria - Israel is not a Sovereignty??? 05:58  |  CJ 23/11/09
  75.   54 JC "An entity is not obliged to declare statehood" 06:35  |  Akram Zekaria 23/11/09
  76.   ANY, CJ is right, Ben-Gurion defined the borders in 1948... 06:38  |  BBSNews 23/11/09
  77.   " it`s a marginal issue" ??? 06:42  |  Roger 23/11/09
  78.   Why Don`t the Palestinians Believe? 06:44  |  Mark of Lewiston 23/11/09
  79.   The right to build in the entirety of the Land of Israel and ... 07:01  |  B. Gold 23/11/09
  80.   for this government "peace" is a manouever or a menace... 07:39  |  Esther 23/11/09
  81.   Amer. in NY do u know what a human is? 09:48  |  suisse 23/11/09
  82.   Peres: peace talk about what?????? 10:27  |  John Spear 23/11/09
  83.   B. Gold - Peddling tosh again? 10:38  |  CJ 23/11/09
  84.   B.Gold nonsense 11:01  |  John Spear 23/11/09
  85.   #70john spears history and fails the test 11:48  |  vhardman 23/11/09
  86.   #69 the complete jerk and the mandate , san remo too 11:51  |  vhardman 23/11/09
  87.   suisse - Israel prevented Gazans from crossing into Egypt under t 12:25  |  CJ 23/11/09
  88.   61~ CJ the train of truth in high speed going and... 12:29  |  Akram Zekaria 23/11/09
  89.   Akram Zekaria - Why don`t you disprove what I`ve written? 12:29  |  CJ 23/11/09
  90.   #60 There`s a difference between State and Nation, Akram. 12:42  |  Johnboy 23/11/09
  91.   Land for Hunda 13:00  |  Dr. Abe Simhony 23/11/09
  92.   Dr. Abe Simhony #80 16:12  |  Brod 23/11/09
  93.   Hot air... 16:35  |  Pablo Luis 23/11/09
  94.   90~ Johnboy no Arab State is "for its own people" ... 19:07  |  Akram Zekaria 23/11/09
  95.   Mr.Peres is buying time to grab more Palestinian lands! 19:40  |  Tony Silver 23/11/09
  96.   to #34... Even so, Palestinian are living there for more than... 19:43  |  Tony Silver 23/11/09
  97.   95~ Tony Silver "Mr Peres is buying time to grab more ... 20:15  |  Akram Zekaria 23/11/09
  98.   89~ CJ "Why don`t you disprove what I`ve written ? 22:54  |  Akram Zekaria 23/11/09
  99.   Akram Zekaria UH? 05:52  |  CJ 24/11/09
  100.   #92 Brod 11:03  |  Dr. Abe Simhony 24/11/09
  101.   Suisse # 71 you view Palestinians as subhuman 13:23  |  American in NY 24/11/09
  102.   99`CJ : I take back the cart & the horse ! 18:40  |  Akram Zekaria 24/11/09
  103.   #28 Phinias Facts about Rafah 05:30  |  Ron 26/11/09
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