Date: 05 / 04 / 2009  Time:  12:35
Bethlehem - Ma'an -

The Saudi-backed Arab Peace Initiative has US President Barack Obama's support, according to US envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell.

Several weeks ago, Mitchell reportedly told a meeting with Israeli, Arab-American and European diplomats and officials in Washington that the proposal will be part of Obama's policy toward the region, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

The plan, launched in 2002, offers Israel normalized relations with all Arab countries in exchange for a complete withdrawal from the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, as well as a just settlement for Palestinian refugees of 1948.

Mitchell made the remarks at a Brookings Institute Workshop, where he also asked participants for their recommendations for American policy toward Syria.

US President Barack Obama reiterated his support for the Saudi-backed Arab Peace Initiative in a meeting with the country's king on Thursday night, the White House said in a statement.

Obama and Saudi King Abdullah "reaffirmed the long-standing, strong relationship between the two countries," according to the statement. "They discussed international cooperation regarding the global economy, regional political and security issues, and cooperation against terrorism."

Meanwhile, US State Department spokesperson Robert Wood insisted the US would push for the establishment of a Palestinian state, saying, "We're going to be working hard to see what we can do to move the process forward. But we're under no illusions. It's not going to be easy."

Wood went on to say that the US supports a two-state solution "because we believe it's in the best interests of all the parties in the region." "We have to engage constantly and remind the parties of their obligations and to try to set up a framework, a process for getting us toward that goal of a two-state solution," Wood added.

The State Department spokesperson also said that Israel's new foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, "is well aware" of the US position on the matter.

But on Wednesday, Lieberman announced that "there is one document that obligates us - and that's not the Annapolis conference; it has no validity." "We will never agree to jump over all the clauses and go to the last one, which is negotiations over a final status agreement," Lieberman said.

The new US special envoy to the Middle East, former Senator George Mitchell, is expected to visit Israel and Palestine soon, the State Department spokesperson said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also expected to visit Washington, possibly as early as next month, according to Reuters.