US, UN see solution in Middle East peace

WASHINGTON - Agence France-Presse

US President Barack Obama (R) talks next to United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki-moon in the Oval Office of the White House. REUTERS photo

U.S. President Barack Obama said April 11 he believed there was a “window of opportunity” to kickstart the Middle East peace process, after a trip to the region by Secretary of State John Kerry.

Obama himself visited Israel and the Palestinian territories last month, his first trip to the region since taking office in 2009. 

The U.S. president said that he and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon “talked about Middle East peace, where there’s at least a window of opportunity for both Israelis and Palestinians to get back to the peace table.” 

“We explored how the United States, as a strong friend of Israel and a supporter of the Palestinian state, can work with the United Nations and multilateral bodies to try to move that process forward.” 
Kerry dubbed his talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders this week “very constructive,” pledging new efforts to help the West Bank economy as he sought to bring the two sides back to the table.