Monday, June 15, 2009

Obama: "Positive movement" in Netanyahu speech

(Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday he saw "positive movement" in a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he endorsed a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, and again urged Israel to halt settlement construction.

"I thought that there was positive movement in the prime minister's speech," Obama said.

Obama, after talks with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, said he saw the possibility for restarting serious peace talks between Israel and the Palestinans.

But he insisted that Israel must meet its "road map" obligations to halt construction of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and the Palestinians must put an end to violence against the Jewish state.