This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/7321991.stm
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 1 | Version 2 |
---|---|
US says Mid-East peace on track | |
(about 4 hours later) | |
The US secretary of state has said the Middle East peace process is "moving in the right direction" following talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. | |
Condoleezza Rice said she believed a final status agreement was possible before President George W Bush leaves office in January 2009. | |
Ms Rice made the comments after meeting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the Jordanian capital, Amman. | |
Earlier, she met Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem. | |
She also held three-way talks with top Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qurei and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. | |
According to Israeli campaign group Peace Now, there has been no reduction in the building of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since the peace talks were relaunched at Annapolis in November. | |
'Impressive work' | |
After meeting Mr Abbas at the end of her three-day mission, Ms Rice told reporters she was impressed by the work being done. | |
God willing, we will reach a comprehensive peace in 2008 - we, the Israelis and the Americans and all the concerned parties in the region, are working to achieve this Mahmoud AbbasPalestinian Authority President | |
Mr Abbas said he hoped a comprehensive peace could be achieved this year. | |
"We, the Israelis and the Americans and all the concerned parties in the region, are working to achieve this," he added. | |
He said he was next due to meet Israel's prime minister on 7 April. Mr Abbas broke off negotiations last month during an Israeli offensive that killed more than 120 Palestinians in Gaza. | |
The confidence expressed by the two leaders came a day after Israel and Mr Abbas's Palestinian Authority agreed to a series of "concrete steps" to ease Palestinians' lives in the West Bank. | |
Israel said it would remove about 50 roadblocks in the West Bank while the PA agreed to step up its efforts to "prevent terror". | |