In Prague, Peres calls for regional peace in Middle East

PRAGUE - President Shimon Peres expressed optimism Monday that Israel's next government can achieve Mideast peace, even though the coalition will contain parties traditionally opposed to making concessions to the Palestinians.

His comments appeared aimed a soothing both U.S. and EU concern that the new government under Benjamin Netanyahu may abandon the concept of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel as the primary goal of a Western-backed road map to peace in the Middle East.

Peres spoke on the eve of the swearing in of a new Israeli coalition government, including hawkish parties opposed to major concessions to the Palestinians, and after meeting with Vaclav Klaus, president of the Czech Republic, which holds the rotating EU presidency.

Netanyahu has been a critic of past peace efforts that require Israeli concessions. But he recently pledged that his government - which includes the centrist Labor Party - will pursue peace with the Palestinians.

Peres seized on that promise by expressing optimism that the new government will be fully committed to seeking a Middle East settlement.

"They say, 'We shall continue the negotiations with the Palestinians,' he told reporters. They say, 'We shall negotiate with each one of our neighbors.' They say, 'Yes, we would like to develop the regional economic opportunities, and they say also, 'We are going to see what can be done in terms of peace on regional level.'"

"And then they are saying also they are going to respect the previous government commitments. So I would think this is a very reasonable and promising beginning."

An Israeli government statement on the visit quoted Peres as saying the "Israeli people want true peace between Israel and its neighbors, and the new government ... will be for peace."

Netanyahu last week said his government would be a partner for peace with the Palestinians. His comments, just a day after President Barack Obama pledged that the U.S. would push creation of a Palestinian state, reflected a softening of his previous skepticism about Mideast peace negotiations.

During the election campaign, Netanyahu derided the past year of peace efforts and indicated he would halt negotiations to focus on developing the Palestinian economy - a stance alluded to by Peres Monday. Netanyahu also said he would allow existing Jewish settlements to expand to accommodate natural growth in their populations.

Even if he has moderated his stance, however, Netanyahu has still not specifically expressed backing for an independent Palestinian state. Nor has he spelled out how he would quell expected internal opposition to meaningful talks with the Palestinians.