US calls for one year extension of peace process

US White House press secretary Joe Lockhart read a statement today on the Middle East peace process calling for a one-year extension of the peace process.

The statement, which Lockhart said was issued due to concerns on the part of both the Palestinians and Israelis that a "political vacuum" may result after May 4, had four main points.

The first point is that the US called on both sides to continue adherence to both the Oslo and Madrid accord.

Secondly, the statement called on both sides to continue to implement the interim agreements.

Third, the statement said the US believes the Oslo process is not open-ended, and it said that the US believes an agreement can be reached within a year. Although he would not give exact dates, Lockhart said, "We believe it can be done within the next year."

Within this effort, the US statement called for both sides to return as soon as possible to final status negotiations, saying these talks could be launched once the Israeli elections are over and a new Israeli government is established. Lockhart indicated a US willingness to facilitate these talks.

Fourth, the statement called on both the Palestinians and Israelis to create a "serious, fair, credible" environment for the peace talks, adding that it is important that the two sides should fight terror, continue security cooperation, and avoid unilateral actions on final status issues.

Lockhart said the US opposes the declaration of a Palestinian state on May 4, saying, the US "doesn't believe that unilateral declarations should be made."

He also said the one-year extension is not a deadline.

"We should not lose the progress that has been made over the last five years," Lockhart said.