Germany foreign minister calls for immediate Middle East talks

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle called Monday for Israelis and Palestinians to return immediately to the negotiating table. "Both sides have legitimate interests," Westerwelle told the UN General Assembly. "However, these interests are certainly not irreconcilable." On Friday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas submitted an application to the UN seeking recognition of a Palestinian state. The Middle East diplomatic quartet had urged instead for a return to stalled peace negotiations within a month. Westerwelle stressed that peace was possible but that it must come through talks, and threw German support behind the quartet efforts to get both sides back to negotiations