A senior Palestinian official says indirect talks with Israel have officially begun. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat spoke after a meeting Sunday between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and White House envoy George Mitchell. In the next four months, Mitchell is to shuttle between Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to try to settle the terms of Palestinian statehood. Mitchell has already held several meetings with both Abbas and Netanyahu in the past week. On Sunday, Erekat declared that «the proximity talks have started,» a day after the Palestine Liberation Organization formally endorsed the negotiations. Netanyahu said Sunday he hopes the indirect talks will quickly move to direct negotiations, according to a report of the Associated Press.
