UN chief calls for Israeli 'goodwill gestures'

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said the Israeli government needed to co-operate in "creating a positive dynamic" after holding talks with Israeli President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem.

A month of "exploratory talks" ended last week without any breakthroughs. Negotiations on a two-state solution stalled in late 2010 after a dispute over Jewish settlement construction.

About 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

"Both sides should make their way to the negotiation table with a strong will, bravery, and political determination" said Ban Ki, who asked the Israeli government to make a gesture of good will to reactivate the negotiations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was re-elected as leader of  his right-wing Likud party. The party held a leadership contest and with 85% of ballots counted, Mr Netanyahu had received 75% of the vote, Israeli media reported.

Ban Ki-Moon also urged the UN Security Council to take actions to deal with the crisis in Syria. Speaking in Amman, the first leg of a tour of the Middle East, Ban Ki-Moon exhorted the UN Security Council to unite and talk with coherence in accordance with the wishes of the international community.

The UN Security Council, an institution of 15 members, debated a draft resolution Tuesday sponsored by the US, France and the United Kingdom demanding the removal of current Syrian president Bashar al-Assad from power and the adoption of other measures against the Syrian government.

For Ban Ki-Moon the crisis in Syria affects the three pillars of the UN Magna Carta: peace and security, development and human rights; at the same time, it constitutes an international threat and affects the economic and social progress of Syria and the neighboring countries.

For the first time, the UN Secretary General recognized that the deaths registered during the conflict were caused by the forces of the opposition to the government. He also said that al-Assad can still adopt decisive reforms, although he did not specify if he was talking about his exit from power.

"Al-Assad is still the leader of Syria and the leaders of any country have the responsibility to listen to the aspirations of their respective peoples," he said.