Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

What has happened in Egypt has had an impact not just on Israel and Palestine but also on the wider region. We must consider the progress that has been made, and talks are now under way between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, which follows from the initiative that the US Secretary of State, Mr. Kerry, took following his appointment. I discussed that initiative with him on a number of occasions, along with other European foreign Ministers.

Last week I discussed the issues with both the Secretary of State and the Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister, Riyad al-Maliki. I am hopeful, but we have been here before, as talks have commenced but not led to a conclusion. I hope this round of talks will lead to a conclusion and settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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