Kerry seeks Israeli-Palestinian peace before September

KUWAIT CITY, June 26 (UPI) -- Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday progress on a Middle East peace agreement must be made before the United Nations resumes its debate in September.

Speaking in Kuwait on his fifth trip to the region and on his way to speak with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, the top U.S. diplomat stressed he was not suggesting a deadline but rather the importance in making headway toward a comprehensive agreement before the U.N. General Assembly resumes it debate.

"We need to be showing some kind of progress in some way, because I don't think we have the luxury of that kind of time," Kerry said in a joint statement with his Kuwaiti counterpart.

After three months of effort by Kerry, anticipation has been building in Jerusalem and in the West Bank that a concrete proposal is under consideration. Israeli news reports suggest a new flexibility by Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, The New York Times reported.