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Clinton makes personal bid to resume Mideast talks

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – U.S. hopes of reviving Mideast peace talks appeared shaky Saturday after a senior Palestinian official said the Palestinians are unlikely to resume negotiations if Israel does not halt Jewish settlement building.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and aides in the Gulf emirate of Abu Dhabi on Saturday before flying to Israel, where she is expected to meet senior Israeli officials in a push to restart peace negotiations.

A top aide to Abbas, Saeb Erekat, said in a phone interview with The Associated Press that Clinton had asked Abbas to allow Israel's government to complete building 3,000 units in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, and to allow the government to construct public buildings and continue construction in east Jerusalem — a territory Palestinians hope will be their future capital.

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