Just days before the end of the freeze on Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Israel to extend the moratorium to allow further peace talks with the Palestinians.
The statement came on Monday during a meeting between Ban and Israeli President Shimon Peres in New York, where the 65th session of the UN General Assembly is under way.
The Israeli government's 10-month moratorium on the construction of Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory expires on September 26. The Palestinians have threatened that if construction continues after the freeze is over, they would withdraw from direct peace talkwith Israel that resumed recently after being stalled for 20 month.
The issue of Jewish settlements has been one of the major sticking points that have prevented peace in the Middle East.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, the Israeli president indicated that Tel Aviv was not going to extend the moratorium, but expressed hope that negotiators would find a way to continue dialogue.
RIA Novosti
