Envoy Warns Of Setbacks In Mideast Talks
After three days of talks in Israel and the West Bank, U.S. envoy George Mitchell isn't optimistic, reports CBS News correspondent Robert Berger. Mitchell said the Gaza war "offers a sobering reminder of the very serious and difficult challenges and unfortunately the setbacks that will come.
Mitchell announced an additional $20 million dollars in U.S. aid to Gaza Friday after touring a U.N. relief warehouse in Jerusalem. That would bring the total to $60 million. On Thursday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon called for $613 million to aid Gaza's recovery effort as top U.N. officials on the ground said thousands of tons of supplies are not reaching residents.
Mitchell arrived in Israel saying an expanded peace in Gaza would have to be based on ending Hamas' weapons smuggling and reopening border crossings blocked by Israel.
After finishing his talks in the region, Mitchell will report his conclusions to President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.