G8 urges Israel to halt W. Bank settlement construction

          Foreign ministers of Group of Eight countries urged Israel to halt all settlement construction in the West Bank Friday, during a meeting in Italy largely focusing on recent events in Iran. They also called on Israelis and Palestinians to renew direct negotiations over all disputed issues. Also meeting Friday on the sidelines of the summit is the Mideast Quartet - the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations - to try to help move the Israeli-Palestinian peace process forward. US Mideast envoy, former Sen. George Mitchell and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon are among the participants. A range of Arab League nations will join in a follow-on session Friday afternoon. Israel was not invited; the Italian Foreign Ministry said that decision was taken by the Quartet, not Italy. On Thursday former deputy national security adviser Elliott Abrams insisted that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was wrong in saying that the Bush administration's tacit agreements with Israel on construction in the settlements did not exist. (20,57)