Livni: We are making progress in peace talks

Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni claimed Wednesday that substantial progress is being made in peace talks with the Palestinians "in spite of recent skepticism displayed by her Palestinian counterparts," The Jerusalem Post reported. Livni, who is also Israel's chief negotiator in the current round of peace talks with the Palestinians, said that preventing failure in current negotiations will be difficult and will require her "experience and expertise." Speaking about the recent interim agreement made in Geneva regarding halting Iran's nuclear program in exchange for lifting financial sanctions, she emphasized the coming six months, a deadline for Iran to show good faith over the deal, and described it as "influencing" time for Israel to have impact on a permanent deal. Livni suggested that Israel should stop being unhappy about the deal with Iran, and focus on peace with Palestinians. She said that rather than complain about the interim deal reached with Iran in Geneva, Israel can help get a better deal by doing its part in the peace talks.