Kerry calls for reasonable compromises as he names Mideast envoy Indyk

              
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry named former U.S. ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk as his main envoy in Israeli-Palestinian talks starting in Washington later on Monday and said he was seeking "reasonable compromises" in the tough negotiations.              

"Going forward it is no secret this is a difficult process. If it were easy, it would have happened a long time ago," Kerry told reporters.            

"It is no secret, therefore, that many difficult choices lie ahead for the negotiators and for the leaders as we seek reasonable compromises on tough, complicated, emotional and symbolic issues."        

The talks are scheduled to resume in Washington on Monday evening and Tuesday and will be conducted by senior aides to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the State Department said.                         

"Both leaders have demonstrated a willingness to make difficult decisions that have been instrumental in getting to this point. We are grateful for their leadership," Kerry said in a statement.                        

Middle East analysts voiced skepticism that the talks might  lead to a peace treaty to end the more than six-decade conflict that has defied two decades of U.S. efforts to broker a solution.                               
Still, the resumption of negotiations is a rare moment of good news in the Middle East for the Obama administration, which has struggled to formulate a policy to try to end the civil war in Syria or to facilitate a democratic transition in Egypt.                      

Even getting the Israelis and the Palestinians to agree to resume talks required great effort by Kerry, who made six peace-making trips to the region in the last four months - an unusual amount of time - to coax the two sides back.                         

The last piece of the puzzle came together when the Israeli Cabinet on Sunday approved the release of 104 Palestinian prisoners, with 13 ministers voting for the release, seven against and two abstaining, an Israeli official said.         

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President Barack Obama welcomed Israeli-Palestinian talks starting in Washington later on Monday but cautioned that a tough path lies ahead.   
       
"This is a promising step forward, though hard work and hard choices remain ahead," Obama said in a statement.       

"I am hopeful that both the Israelis and Palestinians will approach these talks in good faith and with sustained focus and determination," he said.        

"The United States stands ready to support them throughout these negotiations, with the goal of achieving two states, living side by side in peace and security."

                
REUTERS