Foreign Affairs Minister Tzipi Livni will travel to Egypt next Sunday to take part in the conference held by the Quartet on the Middle East at the resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, she and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have decided.

Livni will give a rare joint briefing on the state of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority alongside top PA negotiator Ahmed Qureia. Jerusalem initially objected to the idea of a join briefing, warning the venue was liable to jeopardize the negotiations.

The gathering of the Quartet – which is comprised of the United States, European Union, United Nations

and Russia – will mark the anniversary of the Annapolis peace accords.

The US will be represented by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the architect of the Annapolis summit and the leading American figure involved in the talks. Rice is scheduled to arrive in the Middle East this Wednesday, and will take meetings with leaders in Israel, the Palestinian Authority and other Arab countries in an effort to coordinate a shared message ahead of the Quartet summit.

Livni is to travel from and return to Israel on the same day, with the conclusion of the talks.