CAIRO, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- The nearly deadlocked peace talks between Israel and Palestine may resume shortly, as U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell visits Cairo, officials said.
Officials in Israel and Palestine asked for help in resuming negotiations, Mitchell said, and "peace in the region and a viable independent (Palestinian) state can be achieved," Mitchell said in an Ynetnews report.
"The two parties, Israelis and Palestinians, have asked us to continue our discussions with them and with other governments on how best to achieve the objective of the negotiations," Mitchell told reporters following a meeting with Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa.
Mitchell arrived in Cairo Saturday after meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassem Bin Jabr al-Khalifa in Qatar, the report said.
Mitchell was scheduled to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Sunday before heading to Jordan for more talks.
Direct Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations are practically deadlocked, but Israel and the United States refused to give up hope for their resumption, the report said.
"The door isn't closed, and efforts continue," said Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Barak said he and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, along with U.S. officials, remain hopeful a peaceful agreement can be reached.
