Israel PM says he is willing to start Mideast peace talks

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday he told US President Barack Obama he was willing to launch peace talks with the Palestinians and Syria immediately.

"I said that I was ready to immediately begin peace talks with the Palestinians and with Syria," the right-wing premier told journalists upon his return from a three-day US trip.


He said he also made it clear to Obama that "any peace agreement must answer to Israel`s special security needs."

"We also agreed on the need to expand the peace process to Arab states," he said, adding that "Arab states should also make concrete concessions from the start."

"During the visit we reached understandings in some important fields.

"On Iran there was an understanding that the goal of US-Israeli joint policy is to prevent Iran from acquiring military nuclear captability," Netanyahu said.

"The president made it clear that the dialogue is not unlimited in time," and he accepted Israel`s "right to self-defence," Netanyahu said.