New York (dpa) – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Tuesday commended Israeli and Palestinian negotiators for holding talks aimed at restarting the stalled direct peace talks between the two sides. Ban expressed appreciation to the king of Jordan and his government for hosting the meeting at that country's Foreign Ministry. “The secretary general encourages the parties to build on this meeting and to continue working to establish forward momentum toward a lasting peace,” Ban said in a statement. The meeting is the first between representatives of Israel and the Palestinian Authority in 16 months. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/jiXnG Tags: Ban Ki-moon, Israel, Negotiatins, United Nations Section: Jordan, Latest News, Palestine