Jen Psaki
Spokesperson
Daily Press Briefing
Washington, DC
February 25, 2014
Index for Today's Briefing
- Framework Agreement / Core Issues / Abbas Visit
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QUESTION: Palestinian-Israeli peace process.
MS. PSAKI: Uh-huh.
QUESTION: Is there any more clarity today on the visit of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to Washington?
MS. PSAKI: I don’t have any other details to tell you today.
QUESTION: Okay. Now, let me just understand correctly. Why would he be coming to Washington considering that you had a lengthy meeting with him last week that lasted for eight hours, and it seemed that the talks are deadlocked? Are we looking at the possibility that perhaps the framework agreement would be presented to him much as it would have been presented to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the day before or the week before?
MS. PSAKI: Well, again, and I think we’ve talked about this —
QUESTION: Right, but just a —
MS. PSAKI: I have never given an indication of the timing.
QUESTION: Right.
MS. PSAKI: Obviously, there are many core issues that still need to be discussed and the gaps need to be bridged between the parties. So I would caution you against believing any report that’s suggesting there’s a planned date for a framework to be announced or agreed to because it’s between the parties to do that. So again, for President Abbas and his visit, I would point you to him.
It’s not infrequent for a range of officials to come to Washington. Obviously, we’re at an important time in the discussions about the peace process, so that doesn’t seem too out of the realm to me.
QUESTION: Okay. So the venue, Washington, is more propitious or more suitable to sort of move this thing forward —
MS. PSAKI: Again, Said, I don’t have any —
QUESTION: — than, let’s say, Paris or Ramallah?
MS. PSAKI: I don’t have anything to tell you about what his plans are or meetings he has happening here. I would point you to him for any indication of that.
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Document Type: Briefing, Press briefing, Transcript
Country: Israel, United States of America
Subject: Negotiations and agreements, Palestine question, Peace process, Peace proposals and efforts
Publication Date: 25/02/2014