US "frustrated" at lack of progress in Mideast peace

The United States has acknowledged that the lack of progress at moving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process forward has been frustrating, dpa reported.

"Are we frustrated? Sure we're frustrated," State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said Friday during a visit by Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak.

The Israelis and Palestinians have yet to resume talks despite intense US pressure since President Barack Obama took office more than a year ago and identified the peace process as a top priority.

Obama quickly named former senator George Mitchell as his special envoy. Mitchell has made numerous trips to Israel, the West Bank and other Middle East countries unsuccessfully seeking to jump-start negotiations.

The Israelis and Palestinians have been unable to come to terms for resuming talks, with each side slapping conditions on the other as a basis to begin negotiations.

Barak was at the State Department for a meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"The president and I are deeply committed to a comprehensive peace beginning with a relaunch of meaningful negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians as soon as possible," Clinton said.

Clinton and Barak also discussed Iran's defiance of the UN Security Council by continuing work on its nuclear programme, which Israel views as a major threat to its security.

Barak backed US efforts to broker additional Security Council sanctions on Iran but expressed scepticism about their effectiveness.

Sanctions must be enacted but "without losing eye contact (of) the possibility that in spite of all effort, it will not lead to Iran accepting the international norms," Barak said.

Iran insists its nuclear activities are purely for civilian energy, but the United States, Israel and many European countries suspect Iran is using that as a guise for acquiring a nuclear weapons capability.