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Rice in Mid-East diplomacy talks Rice in Mid-East diplomacy talks
(about 2 hours later)
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is on her way to the Middle East on her first regional visit since the creation of a Palestinian unity government.US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is on her way to the Middle East on her first regional visit since the creation of a Palestinian unity government.
It is her seventh trip to the region in the space of eight months.It is her seventh trip to the region in the space of eight months.
Ms Rice is expected to hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas but will first meet Arab leaders in Egypt.Ms Rice is expected to hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas but will first meet Arab leaders in Egypt.
Correspondents say she is trying to focus minds on efforts to create a Palestinian state.Correspondents say she is trying to focus minds on efforts to create a Palestinian state.
In Egypt's city of Aswan, Ms Rice will meet leaders from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - the so-called Arab Quartet of moderate US allies - officials said.In Egypt's city of Aswan, Ms Rice will meet leaders from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - the so-called Arab Quartet of moderate US allies - officials said.
You need the energy and the help of moving forward on the Arab-Israel side, not at the end of the process, but earlier on in the process Condoleezza RiceYou need the energy and the help of moving forward on the Arab-Israel side, not at the end of the process, but earlier on in the process Condoleezza Rice
She will then hold talks with Mr Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah and Israel's Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem before flying to Jordan for a meeting with King Abdullah II.She will then hold talks with Mr Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah and Israel's Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem before flying to Jordan for a meeting with King Abdullah II.
In order to find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict "you need the energy and the help of moving forward on the Arab-Israel side, not at the end of the process, but earlier on in the process," Ms Rice said on Friday. In order to find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict "you need the energy and the help of moving forward on the Arab-Israel side... earlier on in the process," Ms Rice said as she left Washington.
All parties need to determine "what can early stages of Arab-Israeli reconciliation do to help a Palestinian state," she said. Condoleezza Rice's shuttle diplomacy comes as the outgoing US ambassador in Baghdad warned that events in Iraq could be a danger to the entire region.
urgency Zalmay Khalilzad said a sectarian divide was developing across the Middle East because of the bloodshed between Sunni and Shia Arabs in Iraq.
US President George W Bush said he was sending his secretary of state to the region again because peace in the Middle East was a priority for his administration. Urgency
Despite Washington's refusal to recognise the Palestinian unity government sworn in last Saturday, Condoleezza Rice and her officials are continuing to talk to moderates. The BBC's Jonathan Beale, who is travelling with the secretary of state, says there is a new sense of urgency in addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, not least because Arab neighbours say it is essential to bringing about stability.
The US refuses to deal with those ministers who are members of the militant group Hamas, which regards as a terrorist group. Washington has not recognised the Palestinian unity government sworn in last Saturday.
The BBC's Jonathan Beale, travelling with the secretary of state, says it is a further sign that ideology is no longer the driving force for this administration's foreign policy agenda. It refuses to deal with those ministers who are members of the Islamic group Hamas, which regards as a terrorist group.
So far she has little to show for her efforts but there is a new sense of urgency in tackling the conflict, not least because Arab countries are seeking to bring about stability in the region and Iraq, our correspondent says. However Ms Rice and her officials are continuing to talk to Mr Abbas and other moderates.
The unity government was formed after Hamas - which has dominated the Palestinian cabinet since elections in January 2006 - agreed to share power with Mr Abbas's moderate Fatah faction.
The deal followed several months of fighting between the two groups, which left more than 140 people dead.
Last month, Ms Rice held her first joint meeting with the Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Jerusalem.
She reported no tangible progress at the rare summit, but said the leaders had agreed to meet again soon.