Rice and Olmert in Jerusalem on Sunday
Photo: GPO
Rice, Olmert meet in Jerusalem
Leaders hold three-hour meeting in Jerusalem as US seeks to establish base for Israeli-Arab summit later in 2007 using the 2002 Saudi peace initiative as base for negotiations. Second Rice, Olmert meeting scheduled for Monday for continued talks
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met on Sunday in Olmert's official residence in Jerusalem for a three-hour meeting. No details were released regarding any understandings between the two leaders but it was confirmed that they are scheduled to meet again on Monday.
The pressing matter on the agenda was the Palestinian issue, with Secretary Rice seeking to promote dialog between Israel and the Palestinian Authority using the 2002 Saudi peace initiative as a base for further agreements. Rice, on her fourth trip to the region since December, met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas earlier on Sunday and with Egyptian officials in Cairo on Saturday.
Meanwhile Rice has also sought to strengthen the resolve of the international community in its stand against the Hamas government. Rice supports maintaining contacts with Abbas and Fatah officials close to him.
Push for Israeli-Arab summit in late May
State officials have made it clear throughout the day that the US is working towards an Israeli-Arab summit, mediated by the Quartet, by the end of May. The summit would therefore take place after the Arab summit in Riyadh, the release of the Winograd Commission's interim findings and Israel's 59th Independence Day.Rice's current Mideast tour will establish the preliminary basis for the expected negotiations.
The larger hurdles currently preventing the peace process from moving forward remain Israel's stalwart position on the Palestinian right of return, the Arab demand to turn East Jerusalem into their capital and their demand that Israel withdraw completely to its pre-war 1967 borders.
Following her meeting with Abbas in Ramallah Rice reiterated the US administration's commitment to the peace process and the establishment of a Palestinian state, saying that those two goals were absolute priorities for President George Bush.
Rice said that despite the complex political situation there exists a possibility for true dialog and that more Arab nations are willing to engage Israel.
Palestinian officials stated after Rice's visit that the US had not said it would recognize the Palestinian government but that Rice indicated that the administration would assess the actions of the new coalition government with a favorable attitude. This despite the US-backed demand that the PA government comply with the demands of the Quartet.
On Monday Rice is scheduled to meet Jordanian King Abdullah in Aman, then travel to Ramallah for a second meeting with Abbas. Later in the day she will meet with Foreign Affairs Minister Tzipi Livni before her second meeting with Olmert.
