Factbox: Comments from leaders in Mideast peace talks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Thursday as they began their first direct peace talks in 20 months.

Below are some comments from the Middle East leaders, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Mideast peace envoy George Mitchell.

ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU

"Now, this will not be easy. A true peace, a lasting peace, would be achieved only with mutual and painful concessions from both sides -- from the Israeli side, from the Palestinian side, from my side, and from your side.

"But the people of Israel, and I as their prime minister, are prepared to walk this road and to go a long way, a long way in a short time, to achieve a genuine peace that will bring our people security, prosperity, and good neighbors -- good neighbors, to shape a different reality between us."

"President Abbas, I am fully aware and I respect your people's desire for sovereignty. I am convinced that it's possible to reconcile that desire with Israel's need for security. We anticipate difficult days before we achieve the much-desired peace."

"President Abbas, you condemned this killing. That's important. No less important is to find the killers, and equally to make sure that we can stop other killers. They seek to kill our people, kill our state, kill our peace. And so achieving security is a must. Security is the foundation of peace. Without it, peace will unravel. With it, peace can be stable and enduring."

PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS

"We will work on all the final status issues -- Jerusalem, the settlements, the borders, security, water, and also releasing the detainees -- in order to end the occupation that started 1967, the occupation of the Palestinian territories, and in order to create the state of Palestine that lives side by side with the state of Israel, in order to end the conflict and end the historic demands in the Middle East, and to bring peace and security for the two people and all the peoples of the region."

"Once again, we want to state our commitment to follow on all our engagement, including security and ending incitement. And we call on the Israeli government to move forward with its commitment to end all settlement activities and completely lift the embargo over the Gaza Strip and end all form of incitement."

"We consider that security is of essence, is vital for both of us, and we cannot allow for anyone to do anything that would undermine your security and our security."

U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON

"I know the decision to sit at this table was not easy. We understand the suspicion and skepticism that so many feel, born out of years of conflict and frustrated hopes."

"But by being here today, you each have taken an important step toward freeing your peoples from the shackles of a history we cannot change and moving toward a future of peace and dignity that only you can create."

"For our part, the United States has pledged its full support for these talks, and we will be an active and sustained partner."

"But we cannot and we will not impose a solution. Only you can make the decisions necessary to reach an agreement and secure a peaceful future for the Israeli and Palestinian people."

U.S. MIDEAST ENVOY GEORGE MITCHELL

"The parties agreed that a logical next step would be to begin working on achieving a framework agreement for permanent steps."

"We will put our full weight behind these negotiations and will stand by the parties as they make the difficult decisions necessary to secure a better future for their citizens."

(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)