German Chancellor Angela Merkel phoned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday to hear about the state of the Middle East peace talks, according to her spokesman Steffen Seibert in Berlin. She appealed to Netanyahu to take up "this major opportunity for Israel" and do all he could to ensure a framework peace accord was agreed upon within the space of one year, dpa reported. Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held a second round of direct negotiations in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el- Sheikh and in Al-Quds this week, as part of a long-awaited revival of the peace process.
