Obama Quiet on Kerry Deal Shows Mideast Peace Fragility

By Margaret Talev - Jul 22, 2013

President Barack Obama has refrained from public comment on Secretary of State John Kerry’s brokering of renewed Mideast peace talks, a reflection of how preliminary the president considers the development.

“We’re at a stage here that represents some positive progress but is not representative of a conclusion of anything,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said.

Carney, speaking to reporters before yesterday’s private meeting between Obama and Kerry at the White House, described Obama’s level of optimism about the peace process as “very cautious.” He said Kerry’s July 19 announcement is “an important development, but I don’t want to overstate it or understate it.”

Kerry, who spent four days prodding both sides during his sixth visit to the Mideast this year, announced that Israeli and Palestinian officials agreed on a plan to renew direct peace talks and were seeking to hold a meeting in Washington within days.

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-23/obama-quiet-on-kerry-deal-shows-fragility-of-mideast-peace-talks.html