Secretary-General’s phone calls with Israeli PM Netanyahu and PA President Abbas – SecGen Spokesperson – Readout

Readout of the Secretary-General’s phone calls with with H.E Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of the State of Israel, and H.E Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine

New York, 14 April 2014

The Secretary-General spoke by phone yesterday, in separate calls, with Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas. The purpose of the calls was to discuss the ongoing efforts to extend the negotiations towards a final peace agreement between Israel and Palestine. The Secretary-General strongly encouraged both sides to remain constructively engaged in the talks. He expressed his hope that both leaders will seize the current opening created by US efforts to find a way forward to achieve the two-State solution.