U.S. special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell said Thursday he wants an "early relaunch" of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). "We're going to continue with our efforts to achieve an early relaunch of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians," he told reporters after meeting Israeli President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem.

The negotiations are "an essential step" towards achieving a "comprehensive peace" in the region, involving Israel and its neighbors, including Syria and Lebanon.