|
Rice in diplomatic flurry
25/11/2007 22:56 - (SA)
Washington - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held talks with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Sunday as part of last-ditch efforts to bridge differences with the Palestinians ahead of key Middle East peace talks.
Rice held one-on-one talks with Livni over lunch at her private residence just hours after the Israeli minister arrived with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Washington, a senior Israeli source said.
They were trying to hammer out differences over a document to go before the conference in Annapolis, Maryland, which seeks to kickstart the Middle East peace process virtually frozen for seven years.
Bush worked to get 50 countries to attend
Rice was later to host talks about the document over dinner with Livni and the chief Palestinian negotiator Ahmad Qorei, US State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack said.
McCormack cautioned that he would "not be surprised" if they failed to bridge their gaps before the conference starts, adding "they might work on it Tuesday".
President George W Bush is to host Tuesday's meeting and has worked to persuade some 50 countries and organisations to attend.
Ahead of the conference, Bush is due on Monday to hold talks with Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, who arrived late on Saturday.
Israel and the Palestinians remain deeply divided over several issues, ranging from the name of the declaration, to a timeline for talks on the final status of Jerusalem and how to phrase the end goal of negotiations, according to a draft statement published recently.
- AFP
|
News
