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Talks for Rice, Olmert and Abbas Rice makes bid for Mid-East peace
(about 1 hour later)
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are to meet soon for a three-way summit.US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are to meet soon for a three-way summit.
US officials said the meeting would take place in three to four weeks time. US officials said the summit, announced after Ms Rice met the Israeli leader, would take place within four weeks.
News of the summit came as Ms Rice left Israel for Egypt after talks with Mr Olmert in Jerusalem. The basis of the talks will be the 2003 roadmap, a US-backed plan which demands Palestinians rein in militants and Israel freeze settlement building.
Ms Rice, who is on a week-long visit to the region, has said the US aims to revive the Middle East peace plan known as the roadmap. But as Ms Rice met Mr Olmert, Israel said it planned to build more houses.
US officials said the planned three-way summit would be held in the region. Israel's Housing Ministry published newspaper advertisements inviting bids for the construction of 44 homes in the largest Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank.
'Peace or settlements''Peace or settlements'
Ms Rice met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday, before talks with Jordan's King Abdullah in Amman.Ms Rice met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday, before talks with Jordan's King Abdullah in Amman.
She said she had heard "loud and clear" the call from Arab leaders for more US engagement in the long-running dispute. She said she had heard "loud and clear" the call from Arab leaders for more US engagement in the long-running dispute between Israel and the Palestinians.
The establishment of a Palestinian state should be pursued on its own merits, not because of anything else - not because of Iran, not because of Iraq, not because of anything Condoleezza Rice US secretary of state Send us your commentsThe establishment of a Palestinian state should be pursued on its own merits, not because of anything else - not because of Iran, not because of Iraq, not because of anything Condoleezza Rice US secretary of state Send us your comments
But the top US diplomat has offered no new initiatives for ending the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. But the top US diplomat has offered no new initiatives for ending the conflict, although officials have made clear that they want to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
As Ms Rice was meeting Mr Olmert, Israel announced plans to build another 44 housing units in a Jewish settlement on the West Bank. Mr Abbas' Fatah party is locked in a power struggle with rival group Hamas, which took control of the Palestinian government last year and which calls for the destruction of the state of Israel.
The internationally-backed roadmap plan calls for a halt to Israeli settlement activity. Following the announcement that Israel planned more houses, the Palestinian chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said the country had to choose between peace or settlements, but could not have both.
The Palestinian chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said Israel had to choose between peace or settlements, but could not have both.
Peace Now, an Israeli pressure group that opposes the building of settlements and monitors their expansion, said the announcement was spitting in the face of the American government.Peace Now, an Israeli pressure group that opposes the building of settlements and monitors their expansion, said the announcement was spitting in the face of the American government.
Cairo talksCairo talks
Ms Rice has now arrived in Egypt where she is meeting President Hosni Mubarak and Arab League chief Amr Moussa. Ms Rice is now in Egypt for talks with President Hosni Mubarak and Arab League chief Amr Moussa.
She then heads to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in an attempt to drum up support for President George W Bush's new strategy in Iraq. Afterwards she heads to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in an attempt to drum up support for President George W Bush's new strategy in Iraq.
Ms Rice has said Arab leaders have every incentive to help as a stable Iraq is also in their interests.Ms Rice has said Arab leaders have every incentive to help as a stable Iraq is also in their interests.
In advance of her visit, the secretary of state said she was not bringing new proposals but would be listening, talking and looking for "creative" solutions.In advance of her visit, the secretary of state said she was not bringing new proposals but would be listening, talking and looking for "creative" solutions.
She said concerns about Iraq and Iran had not distracted Washington from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.She said concerns about Iraq and Iran had not distracted Washington from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.