Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asserted his will to find a solution for Middle East peace during telephone conversations with French and United States leaders, Israeli media reported Tuesday.
Netanyahu reportedly said he hopes to carry on the "good talks" with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas while speaking to French President Nicolas Sarkozy and US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, dpa reported.
"I believe wholeheartedly that it is within our power to reach an agreement within a year and to change the history of the Middle East," Netanyahu was quoted as saying by the ynet news website.
The premier also accepted an invitation by Sarkozy to meet with Abbas in Paris next month.
But first, he will meet Wednesday with US mediator George Mitchell, who is in the Middle East in what is said to be a desperate attempt to salvage the peace talks.
Israel let a 10-month moratorium on settlement construction in the West Bank expire Sunday, despite threats by Abbas to walk out of the talks if the freeze was not extended.
Abbas has said he will not make a decision on whether to continue the negotiations until he meets with the Arab League on Monday.