Rice, Abbas discuss new ideas
2008-08-26 20:30
Ramallah - Visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday examined "new ideas" that could move Middle East peace talks forward, the Palestinian leader's spokesperson said.
"New ideas, which the US administration has presented for the first time, were discussed during the meeting between Abbas and Secretary of State Rice," Nabil Abu Rudeina told AFP.
"The coming weeks will be decisive for the peace process. We are at a crossroads and the efforts and the meetings will continue in order to build on the ideas presented for the first time today," he said.
He declined to say what the new proposals were.
A senior Palestinian official, who asked not to be identified, said Israel, the Palestinians and the US administration hope to agree on a "common document" that could be made public by US President George W Bush at a planned meeting with Abbas in New York on September 21.
Abbas is also due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert next week. The two hold talks roughly every two weeks.
During her 24-hour visit to the region, Rice also met Olmert and the chief negotiators from the two sides.