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US envoy due in Lebanon at start of Mideast tour

Reuters
Posted on Wednesday January 20, 2010

BEIRUT — US Middle East envoy George Mitchell was due in Beirut on Tuesday at the beginning of a new regional tour aimed at restarting Middle East peace talks, a Lebanese foreign ministry official said.

The tour will also take Mitchell to Israel, the Palestinian territories and Syria.

The peace envoy was set to meet with Lebanese President Michel Sleiman, Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Foreign Minister Ali Shami and a number of other officials before leaving Beirut on Wednesday.

Israel’s Maariv newspaper said early January that Washington was pushing a plan to restart peace talks that foresees reaching a final deal in two years and agreeing on permanent borders in nine months.

Under the plan, the Israelis and Palestinians will immediately start final status talks that were suspended during the Gaza war a year ago, Maariv reported, citing unnamed sources.

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