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| Rice pushes for Mid-East progress | Rice pushes for Mid-East progress |
| (29 minutes later) | |
| US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Israel to press for progress on a major international conference on the creation of a future Palestinian state. | US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Israel to press for progress on a major international conference on the creation of a future Palestinian state. |
| Ms Rice will meet Palestinian and Israeli leaders to agree a framework for the meeting, which is expected to take place in the US in late November. | Ms Rice will meet Palestinian and Israeli leaders to agree a framework for the meeting, which is expected to take place in the US in late November. |
| She has warned she is not expecting any imminent breakthroughs. | She has warned she is not expecting any imminent breakthroughs. |
| Palestinians want a list of specific differences to be on the table, while Israel wants a more general statement. | Palestinians want a list of specific differences to be on the table, while Israel wants a more general statement. |
| Ms Rice is to hold discussions with Israeli PM Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem, before travelling to the West Bank to see Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. | Ms Rice is to hold discussions with Israeli PM Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem, before travelling to the West Bank to see Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. |
| She will also visit Egypt, and later meet Jordan's King Abdullah in London. | She will also visit Egypt, and later meet Jordan's King Abdullah in London. |
| "I don't expect ... that there will be any particular outcome in the sense of breakthroughs on the document," Ms Rice told reporters travelling with her from Moscow to Tel Aviv. | "I don't expect ... that there will be any particular outcome in the sense of breakthroughs on the document," Ms Rice told reporters travelling with her from Moscow to Tel Aviv. |
| "I would just warn in advance not to expect that, because this is really a work in progress," she said, according to Reuters. | "I would just warn in advance not to expect that, because this is really a work in progress," she said, according to Reuters. |
| Also on Sunday, Mr Olmert appointed Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni as Israeli chief negotiator on the conference. Mr Livni has previously warned against moving too quickly towards an agreement. | |
| Sensitive | Sensitive |
| Responding to a question about Israeli confiscation of Arab land last week, Ms Rice said the timing of the move had been too sensitive. | Responding to a question about Israeli confiscation of Arab land last week, Ms Rice said the timing of the move had been too sensitive. |
| "The point that I will be making is that we have to be very careful as we are trying to move toward the establishment of a Palestinian state about actions and statements that erode confidence in the parties' commitment to a two-state solution," Ms Rice said, according to AFP. | "The point that I will be making is that we have to be very careful as we are trying to move toward the establishment of a Palestinian state about actions and statements that erode confidence in the parties' commitment to a two-state solution," Ms Rice said, according to AFP. |
| Palestinians and Israelis have said the peace talks must succeedCorrespondents say there is growing scepticism among Arab governments on whether next month's conference will tackle what they see as the core issues in the conflict with Israel. | Palestinians and Israelis have said the peace talks must succeedCorrespondents say there is growing scepticism among Arab governments on whether next month's conference will tackle what they see as the core issues in the conflict with Israel. |
| Washington hopes for wide Arab participation. But Syria has already said it is unlikely to attend unless its concerns over the Golan Heights are on the agenda. | Washington hopes for wide Arab participation. But Syria has already said it is unlikely to attend unless its concerns over the Golan Heights are on the agenda. |
| Invitations for the gathering - scheduled to take place in Annapolis, Maryland - have not been sent out yet because so much remains to be finalised. | Invitations for the gathering - scheduled to take place in Annapolis, Maryland - have not been sent out yet because so much remains to be finalised. |
| Analysts say key bones of contention will include the shape of final borders, sovereignty over Jerusalem and a solution for Palestinians who lost their homes in the war that followed Israel's creation in 1948. | Analysts say key bones of contention will include the shape of final borders, sovereignty over Jerusalem and a solution for Palestinians who lost their homes in the war that followed Israel's creation in 1948. |
| Ms Rice is arriving in the Middle East after visiting Moscow, where talks on US plans for a missile shield in Eastern Europe broke down in acrimony after Russian President Vladimir Putin made clear his anger over the project. | Ms Rice is arriving in the Middle East after visiting Moscow, where talks on US plans for a missile shield in Eastern Europe broke down in acrimony after Russian President Vladimir Putin made clear his anger over the project. |