WASHINGTON (AFP) — US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice heads to the Middle East next week to lay the groundwork for a US-sponsored regional peace conference, as talks between Israelis and Palestinians begin to intensify.
Rice will travel to Jerusalem and Ramallah from September 18-20, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Wednesday.
She will meet with top officials "in order to continue the discussions on advancing the development of a political horizon and the two-state solution," McCormack said.
During the long-anticipated trip, Rice "wants to build upon some of the progress the two parties themselves have made during their discussions recently," he added, referring to recent meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas.
US President George W. Bush has called for the international conference, expected to be held in November, in order to jumpstart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Olmert and Abbas on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict, and a senior Israeli government official told reporters that both sides would work "very intensely in the coming weeks to try to reach an understanding, preferably before the summit."
Israelis and Palestinians "decided to form some negotiating committees and that is a very positive development," said McCormack. "That is a very positive signal from the two sides that they are ready to move this process forward."
If there is to be a two-state solution "it is going to be fundamental that the two states themselves are ready to roll up their sleeves," McCormack added.
Abbas and Olmert are due to meet one more time before the Palestinian president heads to New York to attend the annual United Nations General Assembly later this month.That meeting may coincide with Rice's arrival in the region, and result in a Rice-Olmert-Abbas meeting similar to the one Rice helped organize earlier in the year. A State Department spokesman refused to comment on that possibility.
Washington has not announced the date for the peace conference or which countries would be invited, but US officials are keen on getting Saudi Arabia -- its most influential ally in the Arab world -- to participate.
Saudi Arabia does not recognize Israel, so having representatives of both sides in the same room would be a diplomatic coup for Rice.
However Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said Wednesday the kingdom may not attend the planned conference if the event does not tackle core issues of the conflict. He identified "the issue of Jerusalem and borders" as one of the issues that should be discussed.
Saudi King Abdullah discussed the planned conference on Tuesday with Abbas, who later told AFP they agreed on the need to ensure the success of the talks, and that parties concerned, including Syria and Lebanon, must be present at the event.
Abbas called on France to also participate in the proposed conference. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who on Monday started his first major Middle East tour as the top French diplomat, was in favor of French participation.
"France is ready to take part, to be active in it and to make proposals," he said. "We were pleased to hear preparations for this conference in November, to take place it seems in the United States, are going ahead in a positive way."
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