French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner announced Saturday following a meeting with United States special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell that France “stands by the United States to stress the need for an immediate start” to the indirect talks between Israel and the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority. Negotiations, whether direct or indirect, are expected to result in an Israeli surrender of Judea, Samaria and most of Jerusalem to the PA. Mitchell declined to give the press specifics on what the US would demand of Israel but many in the region expect the American pressure to be immense.