Obama calls for peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians

Barack Obama said the US and Jordan both wanted Israelis and Palestinians to go back to the negotiating table

US President Barack Obama has said it is "more vital than ever" for Israelis and Palestinians to restart negotiations on a peace deal.

Mr Obama said the US has a stake in the talks and will continue to try to find an "equitable and just" solution.

The president was speaking after a meeting in Washington with Jordan's King Abdullah II, kicking off a week of intense Middle East diplomacy.

President Obama is scheduled to make a speech on the implications of the Arab uprisings on Thursday.

In that address he will have to discuss not only the stalled Israeli-Palestinian talks, but also articulate US policy towards the Arab world - a region in flux where each country has elicited a different US approach.

(BBC, 17 May 2011)

vocabulary

deal	treaty; agreement
have a stake	have a personal interest or concern
equitable	impartial; fair and reasonable
kicking off	starting
diplomacy	negotiation between nations; the activity of managing relations between different countries
implications	possible effects or results
uprisings	revolutions; acts of rebellion or revolt against an authority
stalled	stopped
articulate	speak clearly
flux	in constant change; continuous movement and change
elicited	got a reaction from

Exercise

Fill in the blanks with the following words:

1. implications 2. articulate 3. kick off 4. stalled 5. have a stake

1. Employers . . . . . in the training of their staff.

2. I'm going to . . . . . today's meeting with a few remarks about the budget.

3. They failed to consider the wider . . . . . of their actions.

4. She struggled to . . . . . her thoughts.

5. Discussions have once again . . . . . .

Answer key: 1. have a stake 2. kick off 3. implications 4. articulate 5. stalled