Direct Isreali-Palestinian peace talks are likely to start in September 2010, and they might be hosted by Bulgaria, Israel's Ambassador in Sofia Noah Gal Gendler told Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) in an interview.

His Excellency was approached by Novinite.com over the recent visit of Israeli President Shimon Peres to Bulgaria, during which he declared that direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations could be expected shortly, and described Bulgaria as “the most suitable” place to hold such talks.

Peres's visit itself was preceded by a visit in Bulgaria by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in July 2010.

“Everybody in Israel believes that direct negotiations should begin very soon, no later than September. If negotiations don't begin by then, then we will face some difficulties, especially with respect to the freeze on the building of settlements, which, as you know, has been a temporary step made by the Israeli government, and cannot continue for good,” said Israel's Ambassador in Sofia.

After senior sources from the so called Middle East Quartet, consisting of the UN, US, EU, and Russia and acting as intermediary in the peace process, indicated a readiness on part of the administration of PA President Mahmoud Abbas to take part in direct talks, Ambassador Noah Gal Gendler confirmed that the Israeli authorities had similar expectations.

“I agree that Bulgaria is a very good place for such negotiations for various reasons – good relations with Israelis and Palestinians, its proximity to the Middle East, etc, etc.,” said His Excellency.

“I cannot talk about Bulgaria's relations with the Palestinian people but I know about the Jews and Israel, and we feel a very positive attitude on part of Bulgaria and the Bulgarian people towards us.

"Of course, this is very important when somebody discusses involvement in negotiations. This is the main reason. If the Palestinians feel the same way about Bulgaria, and if there is a necessity to have a place to negotiate, then Bulgaria might be a good idea,” Israel's Ambassador told Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) with respect to the likelihood of Bulgaria hosting potential Israeli-Palestinian talks.

His Excellency said there had been no coordination between the visits to Bulgaria of the presidents of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which happened within 1 month. Mahmoud Abbas was in Sofia on July 13, and Shimon Peres followed suit on August 11.

Earlier in 2010, in January, a Bulgarian delegation led by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov visited Israel and Palestine on the same trip.

Full text of Ambassador Noah Gal Gendler's interview for Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) READ HERE

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