Getting your player ready...
CAIRO — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton defended the U.S. stance toward Israeli settlement-building, saying Washington does not accept the legitimacy of the West Bank enclaves and wants to see their construction halted “forever.”
Still, she said Israel’s offer to restrain — but not halt — construction represents “positive movement forward” toward resuming Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.
Clinton met Wednesday for an hour with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during a hastily arranged stopover in the Egyptian capital to soothe Arab concerns that Washington is backing off demands for a halt to Israeli settlements.
