Abbas asks US to step into colonies dispute

Ramallah, West Bank: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he has asked the US to settle a dispute with Israel over colony expansion that is threatening to derail Mideast peace talks.

Israel's 10-month partial freeze on new construction in West Bank colonies ends on September 26, and Israeli officials have indicated they will not extend the freeze. Abbas has said he will quit peace talks with Israel unless the restrictions remain in place.

Abbas said late on Monday that he has asked the US "to intervene in the settlement [colony] issue".

The Obama administration has promised an active role in the talks, Abbas told reporters accompanying him on his way back from Washington, where direct negotiations were launched last week after a hiatus of nearly two years.

"The US will be present at the negotiations, not necessarily behind closed doors, but [US mediators] can be inside the room or outside," Abbas said.

Colonies take up land the Palestinians want for a state, and Abbas views Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision on the freeze as a test of his intentions.