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| Rice and Olmert in Mid-East talks | Rice and Olmert in Mid-East talks |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has met US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Jerusalem, as she continues her regional tour. | |
| Ms Rice, who is on a week-long visit to the region, has already said the US aims to revive the Middle East roadmap. | Ms Rice, who is on a week-long visit to the region, has already said the US aims to revive the Middle East roadmap. |
| She met Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday, before talks with Jordan's King Abdullah in Amman. | She met Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday, before talks with Jordan's King Abdullah in Amman. |
| She said she had heard "loud and clear" the call from Arab leaders for more US engagement in the long-running dispute. | She said she had heard "loud and clear" the call from Arab leaders for more US engagement in the long-running dispute. |
| But the top US diplomat has offered no new initiatives for ending the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. | But the top US diplomat has offered no new initiatives for ending the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. |
| The establishment of a Palestinian state should be pursued on its own merits, not because of anything else - not because of Iran, not because of Iraq, not because of anything Condoleezza Rice US secretary of state | The establishment of a Palestinian state should be pursued on its own merits, not because of anything else - not because of Iran, not because of Iraq, not because of anything Condoleezza Rice US secretary of state |
| She is also due to visit Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in an attempt to drum up support for President George W Bush's new strategy in Iraq. | She is also due to visit Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in an attempt to drum up support for President George W Bush's new strategy in Iraq. |
| Ms Rice has said Arab leaders have every incentive to help as a stable Iraq is also in their interests. | Ms Rice has said Arab leaders have every incentive to help as a stable Iraq is also in their interests. |
| In advance of her visit, the secretary of state said she was not bringing new proposals but would be listening, talking and looking for "creative" solutions. | In advance of her visit, the secretary of state said she was not bringing new proposals but would be listening, talking and looking for "creative" solutions. |
| During a news conference after her talks with Mr Abbas, she rejected suggestions that Washington was too distracted by concerns about Iraq and Iran to have any significant impact on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. | During a news conference after her talks with Mr Abbas, she rejected suggestions that Washington was too distracted by concerns about Iraq and Iran to have any significant impact on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. |
| "The establishment of a Palestinian state should be pursued on its own merits, not because of anything else - not because of Iran, not because of Iraq, not because of anything. | "The establishment of a Palestinian state should be pursued on its own merits, not because of anything else - not because of Iran, not because of Iraq, not because of anything. |
| "The Palestinian people have waited a long time for their own state... and if there is anything that I can do and that the president can do to finally realise that day, why wouldn't we want to do that?" | "The Palestinian people have waited a long time for their own state... and if there is anything that I can do and that the president can do to finally realise that day, why wouldn't we want to do that?" |
| Regional alarm | Regional alarm |
| Mr Abbas said that his people would not accept temporary statehood, as mooted recently by Israel. | Mr Abbas said that his people would not accept temporary statehood, as mooted recently by Israel. |
| "We told Secretary Rice that we reject any temporary solutions, including a transitional stage, because we don't see it as a realistic option," he said. | "We told Secretary Rice that we reject any temporary solutions, including a transitional stage, because we don't see it as a realistic option," he said. |
| MID-EAST CONFLICT Mid-East awaits Rice answers Send us your comments | MID-EAST CONFLICT Mid-East awaits Rice answers Send us your comments |
| He also repeated his promise to hold early legislative and presidential elections if talks with the ruling Palestinian party Hamas over forming a national unity government failed. | He also repeated his promise to hold early legislative and presidential elections if talks with the ruling Palestinian party Hamas over forming a national unity government failed. |
| Hamas, for its part, accused Ms Rice of taking sides. | Hamas, for its part, accused Ms Rice of taking sides. |
| A Hamas spokesman, Fawzi Barhum, said her visit was serving only to "support one side [of] the Palestinian people against other". | A Hamas spokesman, Fawzi Barhum, said her visit was serving only to "support one side [of] the Palestinian people against other". |
| Hamas and Mr Abbas's Fatah organisation have been at loggerheads since Hamas won last year's election and lost Western funding for the Palestinian territories over its refusal to recognise Israel. | Hamas and Mr Abbas's Fatah organisation have been at loggerheads since Hamas won last year's election and lost Western funding for the Palestinian territories over its refusal to recognise Israel. |
| The dispute has alarmed some of the region's leaders, including Jordan's King Abdullah who has warned that three civil wars are possible in the Middle East: in Iraq, the Palestinian territories and Lebanon. | The dispute has alarmed some of the region's leaders, including Jordan's King Abdullah who has warned that three civil wars are possible in the Middle East: in Iraq, the Palestinian territories and Lebanon. |
| In Amman, King Abdullah told Ms Rice of the importance for the region of progress on the roadmap, warning that without tangible steps in the near future the cycle of violence would widen. | In Amman, King Abdullah told Ms Rice of the importance for the region of progress on the roadmap, warning that without tangible steps in the near future the cycle of violence would widen. |
| He also said that Iraq's Sunni Arabs must be engaged in the country's political process. | He also said that Iraq's Sunni Arabs must be engaged in the country's political process. |
| The king "stressed that any political process that does not do so was likely to fail and to invite more violence", a court statement said. | The king "stressed that any political process that does not do so was likely to fail and to invite more violence", a court statement said. |