Clinton presses Arabs on Israel ties

UN: Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has called on Arab nations to take steps towards normalising ties with Israel, in an effort to restart stalled Middle East peace talks.

Clinton made her case with her counterparts from Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE on the sidelines of the UN general assembly on Saturday.

She declined to comment on the substance of her discussions, but said afterwards that the talks had been "extremely productive".

Among the gestures toward Israel that Washington has suggested are opening trade and commercial offices, allowing Israeli aircraft overflight rights and promoting academic and cultural exchanges.

The US has also urged Arab states to provide political and economic support to Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, to lay the groundwork for a resumption in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.