Rice and Abbas (Archive)
Photo: Reuters
Rice: It's time for a Palestinian state
US secretary of state, Palestinian President Abbas meet in Ramallah to discuss core issues ahead of Annapolis peace conference. Abbas says Israel, PA working on principles document for final status agreement
Israel and the Palestinians are drafting a principles document that may offer solutions to some of the core issues of the final status agreement, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Monday.
Abbas and Rice met in Ramallah to discuss issues ahead of the Annapolis peace conference scheduled for November and held a press conference following the meeting.
During their conversation, Abbas also asked Rice to act against the expropriation of Palestinian lands by Israel in east Jerusalem, against the archeological dig at the Mugrabi Gate and against the ongoing construction of the separation fence.
He also urged Rice to push for the reopening of Palestinian institutions in east Jerusalem.
The president assured Rice that the PA was doing its utmost to regain control over the territories after Hamas' takeover of Gaza.
'Serious efforts to resolve conflict'
Rice said that US President George W. Bush has decided to make ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict "one of the highest priorities of his administration."
The Annapolis peace conference in the fall has to be serious and substantive, Rice said. "We frankly have better things to do than invite people to Annapolis for a photo op," she said.
Israelis and Palestinians, Rice observed, are making their "most serious effort" in years to resolve the conflict. "Frankly, it's time for the establishment of a Palestinian state," she added.
