Tuesday, August 25, 2009 LONDON: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began a European tour aimed at placating critics with talks in London Tuesday, as efforts gathered pace to revive Middle East peace talks. The hawkish premier, who has upset Britain over Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, was here for his first talks with Prime Minister Gordon Brown since taking power nearly five months ago. The talks at 10 Downing Street come ahead of a summit on Thursday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose government is traditionally one of Israel's closest allies in Europe. As well as debating the prospects of peace with the Palestinians, Netanyahu will discuss international efforts to halt arch-foe Iran's nuclear drive. The United States has threatened new sanctions if Tehran fails to return to the negotiating table. The visit to London offers Netanyahu a chance to patch up relations with Brown's government, which recently said it wa...
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