4:3 Clinton expresses frustration at Middle East impasse

(11 Dec 2010) NOTE - SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK SPACES 1. Wide of US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton walking to podium, behind her is an American flag with a star of David 2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hillary Rodham Clinton, US Secretary of State: "I know that improvements in security and growing prosperity have convinced some that this conflict can be waited out or largely ignored. This view is wrong and it is dangerous." ++BLACK SPACE++ 3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hillary Rodham Clinton, US Secretary of State: "And we conclude, without a shadow of a doubt, that ending this conflict once and for all and achieving a comprehensive regional peace is imperative for safeguarding Israel's future." ++BLACK SPACE++ 4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hillary Rodham Clinton, US Secretary of State: "There is no alternative other than reaching mutual agreement. The stakes are too high, the pain too deep and the issues too complex for any other approach. Now it is no secret that the parties have a long way to go and that they have not yet made the difficult decisions that peace requires and, like many of you, I regret that we have not gotten farther, faster in our recent efforts." ++BLACK SPACE++ 5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hillary Rodham Clinton, US Secretary of State: "The United States will not be a passive participant. We will push the parties to lay out their positions on the core issues without delay and with real specificity. We will work to narrow the gaps, asking the tough questions and expecting substantive answers." ++BLACK SPACE++ 6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hillary Rodham Clinton, US Secretary of State: "Unfortunately as we have learned, the parties in this conflict have often not been ready to take the necessary steps. Going forward, they must take responsibility and make the difficult decisions that peace requires and this begins with a sincere effort to see the world through the other side's eyes." 7. Zoom out of Clinton leaving the stage 8. Tracking wide of Clinton greeting and shaking hands with guests STORYLINE: Without suggesting a new path toward Mideast peace, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton expressed frustration with the Israel-Palestinian impasse on Friday while insisting the Obama administration would "not lose hope". She said the US would keep pressing for a solution, and she called on Israelis and Palestinians to set aside their differences. "It is no secret that the parties have a long way to go and that they have not yet made the difficult decisions that peace requires," she said in a dinner speech on Friday at the Saban Forum, a Mideast policy seminar sponsored by the Brookings Institution think tank. "And like many of you, I regret that we have not gotten farther, faster," she added, at the event, which took place in Washington, DC. She spoke just days after the administration dropped an effort to persuade Israel to impose a temporary freeze on some settlement activity. The Palestinians insist that direct peace talks cannot resume until Israel halts settlement construction. Clinton made clear that she believes the Israelis and Palestinians are ultimately responsible for settling their long conflict. "Unfortunately, as we have learned, the parties in this conflict have often not been ready to take the necessary steps," she said. "Going forward, they must take responsibility and make the difficult decisions that peace requires. This begins with a sincere effort to see the world through the other side's eyes." She said the status quo was untenable. And she said the establishment of a Palestinian state through negotiations was "inevitable". Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...