Kerry meets Abbas on new Mideast peace mission

US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived on Thursday in Ramallah for a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in yet another attempt at promoting elusive Israeli-Palestinians peace talks. Kerry arrived at the presidential office at 1715 GMT, slightly late, as extreme weather -- including snow storms -- swept across Israel and the Palestinian territories, an Agence France Presse correspondent said. On Friday, the top U.S. diplomat is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres before continuing to Jordan. It is his ninth trip to Israel and the West Bank since March, and his second in less than a week. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said earlier this week the U.S. aim was "focused on a final deal" rather than an interim agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. Nine-month direct talks were launched between the sides by Kerry in July. Last week, he said "we are closer than we have been in years" to reaching a peace deal. But Palestinians said Kerry's ideas on future security arrangements, which were presented to the Palestinian leadership last week, had provoked a "real crisis." Kerry's December 11-18 trip will also take him on to Vietnam, where he fought as a naval lieutenant in the Vietnam War, and the Philippines.