ROME
The U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met for more than three hours Monday in Rome to discuss the Palestinian resolution to the UN Security Council demanding Israel pull back to 1967 borders by 2016.
Neither man spoke to reporters after the discussions at the Villa Taverna, the residence of the U.S. ambassador to Italy.
However, American sources said that Kerry had stopped short of accepting Israel’s demand for a U.S. veto of the resolution, telling Netanyahu that Washington would continue to attempt mediation in the Middle East conflict.
Kerry is determined to seek support for French efforts to present a compromise resolution at the Security Council that would seek to begin anew negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis, and aim to promote a two-state solution without setting any deadline for Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories.
Talks have stalled since the spring.
Kerry left for Paris where he will have talks with French officials Monday night before continuing to London and Berlin for discussions with British and German leaders.
Before the talks began, however, the Israeli leader flatly rejected any concession to the Palestinian and Jordanian resolution.
"We don’t accept attempts aimed at imposing unilateral measures on us within a determined period while radical Islamism is being propagated around the world," Netanyahu said before flying to Rome.
The Palestinian Authority announced Sunday its intention to deposit, through Jordan, the resolution at the UN calling for the end of the Israeli occupation within two years.
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