Obama's Schedule Sept. 2

Hillary Clinton hosts the private peace talks with Mideast leaders begins today. From Politico:

Speaking one final time before the talks begin in private, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says that she, President Obama and Mideast envoy George Mitchell are"prepared to do whatever we can to help you succeed."

"And we believe in you, and we support you," she says, thanking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas once again. "Now, it’s time to get to work."

Meanwhile, minutes ago, another oil well exploded in the gulf, another potential disaster for Obama to contend with. Details are still sketchy.

Obama's public schedule:

11:30 AM	The President meets with his national security team Situation Room Closed Press
1:00 PM	The President receives the Economic Daily Briefing Oval Office Closed Press

PLO Agree to Indirect Peace Talks U.S. to Broker

Palestinian leaders on Saturday gave their backing for indirect peace talks with Israel, clearing the way for the Obama administration's first sustained on-the-ground Mideast peace effort.

U.S. envoy George Mitchell will now shuttle between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders for up to four months to try to narrow the vast gaps on the terms of Palestinian statehood.

Saturday's decision by the Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee and the Fatah Central Committee was widely expected since Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has expressed interested in the indirect negotiations and already has received Arab League support.

PLO general secretary Yasser Abed Rabbo told reporters the Palestinians decided to engage Israel, even if indirectly, because of a number of U.S. assurances. NPR

Obama Meetup With Netanyahu and Abbas Sept. 22

Obama and Mahmoud Abbas. Below, Netanyahu

U.S. President Barack Obama will hold a joint meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday to help restart peace talks between the two sides, the White House said.

Obama, who will be in New York for the U.N. General Assembly next week, will meet with each leader separately before convening the joint session with them.

"These meetings will continue the efforts of President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Special Envoy George Mitchell to lay the groundwork for the re-launch of negotiations, and to create a positive context for those negotiations so that they can succeed," the statement said.

U.S. envoy Mitchell recently returned from a shuttle diplomacy trip to Jerusalem and Arab capitals.

"It is another sign of the President's deep commitment to comprehensive peace that he wants to personally engage at this juncture," Mitchell said in the White House statement. Haaretz

Middle East on Verge of Restarting Peace Talks

This is rather exciting news:

From the Guardian:

Obama has pencilled in the announcement of his breakthrough for either a meeting of world leaders at the UN general assembly in New York in the week beginning 23 September or the G20 summit in Pittsburgh on 24-25 September.

The president, who plans to make his announcement flanked by Netanyahu and the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas – plus the leaders of as many Arab states as he can muster – hopes that a final peace agreement can be negotiated within two years, a timetable viewed as unrealistic by Middle East analysts.

Obama had hoped to unveil his plans before the start of Ramadan last weekend but failed to complete the deal with the Israelis or the Arab states in time. Read the whole thing