US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about issues blocking direct peace talks with the Palestinians as the Obama administration boosted pressure for talks to begin as soon as possible, the State Department said Friday. Clinton telephoned Netanyahu Thursday evening, and also discussed the issue with the foreign ministers of Jordan and Egypt, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said in message on Twitter. “Secretary Clinton continued the US push for peace in the Middle East last evening with calls to regional leaders,” Crowley said, adding that her talks with Netanyahu focused on “issues to be resolved for direct negotiations to begin.” Clinton's telephone calls followed a trip to the region by US Mideast negotiator George Mitchell this week in which he sought to break down the final barriers to direct peace negotiations, which US President Barack Obama hopes to see launched in coming weeks. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas indicated Monday he could go to direct talks, provided they were based on a March 19 statement by the “Quartet” of Mideast peace mediators . But Israeli newspapers said Netanyahu told Mitchell Wednesday he wanted talks to start without any such “precondition.” – Agencies -- dampening hopes for an imminent breakthrough. In Brussels, EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said in a letter to foreign ministers seen Friday that bbas is very close to agreeing to direct talks. Abbas “has requested a few more days for final consultations with Arab partners as well as with the Fatah and PLO executive bodies,” Ashton wrote, and “should be in a position to give a definitive answer by Sunday or early next week.”
