WASHINGTON (ANTARA/AFP) - Two US envoys will head back to the Middle East for talks with Israel and the Palestinian Authority on a Palestinian push for statehood, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday. "I'm sending David Hale and Dennis Ross back to the region in the next days to meet with both Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu and President (Mahmud) Abbas," Clinton said. Hale is a special US envoy for the Middle East, and Ross is a special advisor to Clinton. Clinton once again expressed US opposition to a bid for UN recognition for a Palestinian state, either by the UN Security Council or the General Assembly. "The only way of getting a lasting solution is through direct negotiations between the parties and the route to that lies in Jerusalem and Ramallah, not in New York," she said. "We are redoubling our efforts not only with both sides but with a broad cross-section of the international community to create a sustainable platform for negotiations," she said. One approach could be a declaration by the Middle East Quartet -- the United States, Russia, United Nations and the EU -- that would offer a clear alternative to the UN route. But the prospects for that appeared to dim after Russia said Monday it would support the Palestinian bid at the United Nations. Late on Monday, a small group of Arab foreign ministers led by Qatar's top diplomat agreed to marshal support for the Palestinian bid. Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani said as he chaired Tuesday's Arab League meeting that the Palestinian cause "is the main challenge" facing the 22-member bloc. "We thank all the countries that have recognized the Palestinian state and we look forward to (further) support for the Palestinian bid for UN membership," Sheikh Hamad said. Some 127 countries recognized Palestine as an independent state and the Palestinians hope to garner more than 160 votes at the General Assembly for their cause and would not spare an effort to seek full UN membership.


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