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Rice to meet Middle East leaders Rice to meet Middle East leaders
(about 1 hour 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.
She will visit him in Ramallah before meeting Israeli PM Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem. She will visit him in the West Bank town of Ramallah before heading to Jerusalem for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
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. Her trip is billed as an effort to restart the stalled peace process, but correspondents say there are no signs of any concrete proposals emerging.
She has met Egyptian and Saudi leaders, seeking to "engage moderate leaders" at US President George Bush's behest.
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.
She will not be having any contact with the Hamas-led Palestinian government.She will not be having any contact with the Hamas-led Palestinian government.
Hours before he was due to meet Ms Rice, Mr Abbas said talks with Hamas on forming a unity government with his Fatah group had broken down.
"The dialogue now does not exist," he said, warning he might dissolve the Hamas-led government.
Factional fighting
The two parties have been in discussions on forming a coalition since mid-September.
The power struggle has erupted into violence in recent days, leaving 10 people dead and more than 100 wounded.
This is Ms Rice's first trip to the region since the end of a month-long conflict between Israeli forces and Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.
She has already met Egyptian and Saudi leaders during her trip, seeking to "engage moderate leaders" at US President George W Bush's behest.
President Bush may want to revive the peace process, but it is hard to see how Rice courts moderate ArabsPresident 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. Many commentators believe the purpose of her trip is 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.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". At a news conference in Cairo, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said solving the Palestinian problem was central to achieving peace in the region.
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.
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 region's core problems.He said the failure to address the plight of the Palestinians was one of the region's core problems.
Palestinian problem Hamas came to power in March following its crushing defeat of Fatah in January elections.
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. Israeli and Western donors cut off funds to the Palestinian Authority after Hamas rejected demands to renounce violence and recognise Israel.
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 government's inability to pay civil servants and security forces.
Unrest has spiralled in the Palestinian territories over the Hamas government's inability to pay civil servants and security forces. In the latest 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 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.