Kerry seeks framework for Mideast peace talks

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A senior State Department official says Secretary of State John Kerry will try this week to get Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a framework for negotiating a final peace agreement, yet cautions against raising expectations for Kerry's latest round of shuttle diplomacy.

The official says that when Kerry heads to the region on Wednesday, he will test ideas for breaching gaps between the two parties, but says a "big breakthrough" is not expected this week in the decades-long dispute.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to brief reporters on Kerry's trip.

Any agreed framework would not be a signed document, but would address all core issues, including the borders between Israel and a future Palestine, security, Palestinian refugees and conflicting claims to the holy city of Jerusalem.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2013/12/269383