Visiting French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé expressed “measured” optimism about holding a peace conference on the Middle East in the coming weeks in Paris, a proposal he made ​​during his visit to Jerusalem.
"There is a small chance, "he told Europe 1 radio. "France seeks simply to facilitate the resumption of dialogue. If nothing happens by next September, we may find ourselves at the General Assembly of the United Nations in a difficult situation for everyone ".
Israeli government sources, quoted by The Jerusalem Post, said Israel is considering the French proposal for an international peace conference in order to avert the Palestinians’ bid for UN General Assembly recognition of statehood.
Juppe met Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Rome and with Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Ramallah.
Juppe also met with his Israeli counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman.
"The status quo here in the Middle East between Israel and Palestinians is no longer tolerable," Juppe said.
Juppe said he hoped talks could be resumed in Paris before the end of July, using a formula presented by US President Barack Obama that would see negotiations focus first on borders and security, using the 1967 lines – with mutually agreed land swaps – as the baseline.
During his recent trip to Washington, Netanyahu rejected the 1967 lines as the baseline for negotiations, describing them as "indefensible."
During his meeting with Juppe, Netanyahu expressed appreciation for the French decision to take action against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
"Gaddafi has a long history of supporting international terrorism and violence against his own people. He was never a friend of Israel or the Jewish people, and Israel will certainly not be sorry to see him disappear from the map," the Prime Minister said.