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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Rice set for key Mid-East summit | Rice set for key Mid-East summit |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| US-brokered talks between the leaders of Israel and the Palestinians are due to get under way in Jerusalem. | |
| US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she hopes to explore prospects for peace with Israeli PM Ehud Olmert and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. | |
| But the summit is likely to be overshadowed by the formation of a new Palestinian unity government. | But the summit is likely to be overshadowed by the formation of a new Palestinian unity government. |
| Mr Olmert has said Israel and the US will boycott any Palestinian government which does not recognise Israel. | Mr Olmert has said Israel and the US will boycott any Palestinian government which does not recognise Israel. |
| Ms Rice said the US would reserve judgement until the proposed national unity government had been formed. | Ms Rice said the US would reserve judgement until the proposed national unity government had been formed. |
| Hamas, which would be the largest group in the new government, has refused to recognise Israel's right to exist - a key demand of Western countries boycotting the Palestinian Authority (PA). | Hamas, which would be the largest group in the new government, has refused to recognise Israel's right to exist - a key demand of Western countries boycotting the Palestinian Authority (PA). |
| Rival factions Hamas and Fatah came to a power-sharing agreement earlier this month, bringing to an end weeks of internal fighting. | Rival factions Hamas and Fatah came to a power-sharing agreement earlier this month, bringing to an end weeks of internal fighting. |
| Boycott threat | Boycott threat |
| The BBC's Bethany Bell in Jerusalem says that there is little optimism ahead of the summit, the first time Israeli and Palestinian leaders will have sat down together with a senior US official since June 2003. | The BBC's Bethany Bell in Jerusalem says that there is little optimism ahead of the summit, the first time Israeli and Palestinian leaders will have sat down together with a senior US official since June 2003. |
| Ehud Olmert says any Palestinian government must recognise Israel | Ehud Olmert says any Palestinian government must recognise Israel |
| Condoleezza Rice says she wants to explore the prospects for peace but has admitted it is a complicated time, our correspondent says. | Condoleezza Rice says she wants to explore the prospects for peace but has admitted it is a complicated time, our correspondent says. |
| Ms Rice spent more than two hours in talks with Mr Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah on Sunday. She then held talks in Jerusalem with Mr Olmert. | Ms Rice spent more than two hours in talks with Mr Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah on Sunday. She then held talks in Jerusalem with Mr Olmert. |
| The US and Israel have stressed that any future Palestinian administration must recognise Israel, renounce violence and commit to previous agreements between the PA and Israel. | The US and Israel have stressed that any future Palestinian administration must recognise Israel, renounce violence and commit to previous agreements between the PA and Israel. |
| Speaking on the eve of the summit, Mr Olmert said he and US President George W Bush had agreed to boycott the unity government if this was not the case. | Speaking on the eve of the summit, Mr Olmert said he and US President George W Bush had agreed to boycott the unity government if this was not the case. |
| Mr Olmert said a Palestinian government that failed to accept the conditions laid down by the quartet of the US, EU, Russia and UN "cannot receive recognition and there will not be co-operation with it". | Mr Olmert said a Palestinian government that failed to accept the conditions laid down by the quartet of the US, EU, Russia and UN "cannot receive recognition and there will not be co-operation with it". |
| Prospects poor | Prospects poor |
| The EU, US and Russia have maintained an economic boycott of the Palestinian government since Hamas won legislative elections in January last year. | The EU, US and Russia have maintained an economic boycott of the Palestinian government since Hamas won legislative elections in January last year. |
| Mr Abbas (right) has asked Mr Haniya to form a unity government | Mr Abbas (right) has asked Mr Haniya to form a unity government |
| Meanwhile, factional fighting between Fatah and Hamas has claimed more than 90 Palestinian lives since December. | Meanwhile, factional fighting between Fatah and Hamas has claimed more than 90 Palestinian lives since December. |
| Former Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya of Hamas now has five weeks to get a new cabinet accepted by the Hamas-dominated parliament. | Former Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya of Hamas now has five weeks to get a new cabinet accepted by the Hamas-dominated parliament. |
| But if Hamas maintains its position regarding Israel, there is concern that any talks brokered by Washington will be futile, correspondents say. | But if Hamas maintains its position regarding Israel, there is concern that any talks brokered by Washington will be futile, correspondents say. |
| The fact that no news conference has been scheduled after the three-way summit suggests expectations are low, they suggest. | The fact that no news conference has been scheduled after the three-way summit suggests expectations are low, they suggest. |