Establishment of Palestinian state 'long overdue': Cheney

RAMALLAH - US Vice President Dick Cheney said on Sunday that the establishment of a Palestinian state was "long overdue", speaking at a West Bank press event with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.
"As President (George W) Bush has said, the establishment of a state of Palestine is long overdue and the Palestinian people deserve it," Cheney said on the latest stop in a nine-day tour of the region.
Cheney arrived in Ramallah on Sunday after meetings with senior Israeli officials aimed at encouraging peace talks revived at a US conference in November that have made little progress since then.
ok-jk/kir

03/23/2008 13:11 GMT