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Rice to meet Palestinian leader Rice to meet Middle East leaders
(about 6 hours later)
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is to meet Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas as part of her Middle East tour.US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is to meet Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas as part of her Middle East tour.
Ms Rice says Palestinians "need a government that can engage the international community", after sanctions which crippled the region. She will visit him in Ramallah before meeting Israeli PM Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem.
She has been meeting Egyptian and Saudi leaders as she tries to get "moderate Arab leaders" to boost Mr Abbas. Her trip is billed as a new effort to restart the stalled peace process, but correspondents say there are no signs of any concrete proposals emerging.
Supporters of Mr Abbas' Fatah party have clashed with gunmen linked to the Hamas-led government. She has met Egyptian and Saudi leaders, seeking to "engage moderate leaders" at US President George Bush's behest.
Ten Palestinians have been killed and more than 100 wounded since fighting erupted between the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and Hamas militants.
Ms Rice has called for an end to the violence, saying it was affecting "innocent Palestinians".
President Bush may want to revive the peace process, but it is hard to see how Rice courts moderate Arabs
Unrest has spiralled in the Palestinian territories over the Hamas government's inability to pay civil servants and security forces.
In further violence, masked gunmen have killed a Hamas leader in the West Bank, a day after a rival Palestinian faction threatened to kill senior Hamas members.
The Palestinian government has been starved of cash from foreign donors since Hamas took its helm after elections earlier this year.
Aid donations have been sliced over Hamas' refusal to recognise Israel and renounce violence.
Palestinian problem
The US Secretary of State is visiting the Middle East for the first time since the end of a month-long conflict between Israeli forces and Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.The US Secretary of State is visiting the Middle East for the first time since the end of a month-long conflict between Israeli forces and Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.
Before her talks with Mr Abbas, she is expected to meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. She will also see Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. She will not be having any contact with the Hamas-led Palestinian government.
President Bush may want to revive the peace process, but it is hard to see how Rice courts moderate Arabs
Many commentators believe the real purpose is for Ms Rice to illustrate US engagement in order to reassure pro-western Arab governments in Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, says the BBC's Jon Leyne in Jerusalem.
Before her talks with Mr Abbas, Ms Rice met Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Ms Rice said on Tuesday that the Palestinians "need a government that can engage the international community and can engage the broad consensus that a two-state solution is the answer".Ms Rice said on Tuesday that the Palestinians "need a government that can engage the international community and can engage the broad consensus that a two-state solution is the answer".
US President George W Bush said last month he wanted Ms Rice to travel to the region to "engage moderate leaders".US President George W Bush said last month he wanted Ms Rice to travel to the region to "engage moderate leaders".
He said these leaders could "help the Palestinians reform their security services and support Israeli and Palestinian leaders in their efforts to come together to resolve their differences".He said these leaders could "help the Palestinians reform their security services and support Israeli and Palestinian leaders in their efforts to come together to resolve their differences".
At a press conference in Cairo on Tuesday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said solving the Palestinian problem was central to achieving peace in the region.At a press conference in Cairo on Tuesday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said solving the Palestinian problem was central to achieving peace in the region.
Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal also called for greater US efforts to restart the Middle East peace process.Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal also called for greater US efforts to restart the Middle East peace process.
He said the failure to address the plight of the Palestinians was one of the core problems of the region. He said the failure to address the plight of the Palestinians was one of the region's core problems.
Palestinian problem
A growing power struggle in the West Bank and Gaza Strip between the Hamas movement, which leads the government, and supporters of Mr Abbas' Fatah grouping has left 10 people dead and more than 100 wounded in recent days.
In further violence, masked gunmen have killed a Hamas leader in the West Bank, a day after a rival Palestinian faction threatened to kill senior Hamas members.
Unrest has spiralled in the Palestinian territories over the Hamas government's inability to pay civil servants and security forces.
The Palestinian government has been starved of cash from foreign donors since Hamas took its helm after elections earlier this year.
Aid donations have been cut over Hamas's refusal to recognise Israel and renounce violence.
Ms Rice has called for an end to the violence, saying it was affecting "innocent Palestinians".
The BBC's Arab affairs analyst, Magdi Abdelhadi, says it is hard to find an Arab commentator who believes Ms Rice's visit will have any positive impact in a region where the prospect of a major conflagration - in Iraq, Lebanon or the Palestinian territories - is never far off.