Abbas to US: Help in Settlement Dispute09/07 08:46

   RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he has 
asked the U.S. to settle a dispute with Israel over settlement expansion that 
is threatening to derail Mideast peace talks.

   Israel's 10-month partial freeze on new construction in West Bank 
settlements ends Sept. 26, and Israeli officials have indicated they will not 
extend the freeze as is. Abbas has said he'll quit peace talks with Israel 
unless the restrictions remain in place.

   Abbas said late Monday that he has asked the U.S. "to intervene in the 
settlement issue."

   The Obama administration has promised an active role in the talks, Abbas 
told reporters accompanying him on his way back from Washington, where direct 
negotiations were launched last week after a hiatus of nearly two years.

   "The U.S. will be present at the negotiations, not necessarily behind closed 
doors, but (U.S. mediators) can be inside the room, or outside," Abbas said.

   Settlements take up land the Palestinians want for a state, and Abbas views 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision on the freeze as a test of 
his intentions.

   President Barack Obama wants Abbas and Netanyahu to agree on the main 
principles of a peace deal within a year, but gaps remain wide. In Washington, 
Netanyahu - who long opposed Palestinian statehood before accepting the idea 
last year - struck a conciliatory tone, but the Palestinians still fear the 
Israeli leader plans to use the talks to buy time and establish more facts on 
the ground.

   "Some say he is not serious and practicing PR," Palestinian negotiator Nabil 
Shaath told reporters on Tuesday, referring to Netanyahu. "But we are going to 
test him on two imminent issues - the settlement slowdown and then at the 
negotiating table."

   President Barack Obama wants to see both sides reaching agreement on the 
main elements of a peace deal within a year. But in a message to the Israeli 
people on Tuesday ahead of the upcoming Jewish New Year, Netanyahu said the 
negotiations' success, while desired, "was not assured."

   Abbas and Netanyahu will meet twice next week, first in the Egyptian resort 
of Sharm el-Sheik and then in Jerusalem. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham 
Clinton will attend the Jerusalem meeting.

   The Israelis are negotiating with Abbas, who has limited governing power in 
the West Bank under Israel's overall security control. The Gaza Strip, located 
on the other side of Israel, is controlled by Abbas' rivals, the Islamic 
militants of Hamas, who do not recognize Israel and reject negotiations. 
Clashes and rocket fire are common along the Gaza-Israel border.

   On Tuesday, Palestinian militants in Gaza fired a rocket into Israel. No one 
was hurt.


(KA)