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/7044914.stm
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Bush 'to focus on Mid-East peace' | Bush 'to focus on Mid-East peace' |
| (29 minutes later) | |
| The US secretary of state says President George Bush has decided to make ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict one of his highest priorities. | The US secretary of state says President George Bush has decided to make ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict one of his highest priorities. |
| The current moves to re-start talks were the most serious effort to resolve the conflict in many years, she said. | |
| Ms Rice is in the West Bank, where she has been trying to salvage a peace conference planned for next month. | Ms Rice is in the West Bank, where she has been trying to salvage a peace conference planned for next month. |
| The Palestinians have warned that if no tightly-worded text is agreed on which to base talks, they will not attend. | |
| The Israelis say they do not believe an agreed text is necessary. | The Israelis say they do not believe an agreed text is necessary. |
| After a first round of talks with Israeli leaders on Sunday, Ms Rice's aides indicated the conference might have to be postponed unless an agreement is reached regarding the statement. | After a first round of talks with Israeli leaders on Sunday, Ms Rice's aides indicated the conference might have to be postponed unless an agreement is reached regarding the statement. |
| Ms Rice's motorcade was delayed for a quarter of an hour by a security alert during which her vehicle took cover in an Israeli fire station. | Ms Rice's motorcade was delayed for a quarter of an hour by a security alert during which her vehicle took cover in an Israeli fire station. |
| 'Serious' conference | 'Serious' conference |
| At a news conference with Mr Abbas, Ms Rice said President Bush planned to focus his efforts on achieving a resolution to the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict. | At a news conference with Mr Abbas, Ms Rice said President Bush planned to focus his efforts on achieving a resolution to the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict. |
| Every time I visit, the situation seems to have worsened John Dugard,UN special rapporteur Quartet's 'deaf ears' | Every time I visit, the situation seems to have worsened John Dugard,UN special rapporteur Quartet's 'deaf ears' |
| "The president has decided to make this one of the highest priorities of his administration and of his time in office," she said. | |
| "It means he is absolutely serious about moving this issue forward and moving it as rapidly as possible to conclusion." | |
| She said the peace conference planned to be held in Annapolis, Maryland, should be "serious and substantive". | |
| "We frankly have better things to do that invite people to Annapolis for a photo op," she said. | "We frankly have better things to do that invite people to Annapolis for a photo op," she said. |
| But she said she sensed a "seriousness and commitment" in the attitudes of Mr Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, making "this is the most serious effort to try to end this conflict in many, many years". | |
| UN 'failure' | |
| Earlier, the UN human rights envoy to the Occupied Territories strongly criticised the Quartet group trying to promote an Israeli-Palestinian peace process, saying it is not doing enough to challenge Israel's restrictions on the movement of Palestinians. | Earlier, the UN human rights envoy to the Occupied Territories strongly criticised the Quartet group trying to promote an Israeli-Palestinian peace process, saying it is not doing enough to challenge Israel's restrictions on the movement of Palestinians. |
| Speaking to the BBC, John Dugard said he thought the UN might soon need to withdraw from the Quartet - made up of the UN, the US, the EU and Russia - because it was "failing in its duty to the Palestinian people". | Speaking to the BBC, John Dugard said he thought the UN might soon need to withdraw from the Quartet - made up of the UN, the US, the EU and Russia - because it was "failing in its duty to the Palestinian people". |
| The BBC correspondent in Jerusalem says it is unusual for such criticisms to be voiced publicly. | The BBC correspondent in Jerusalem says it is unusual for such criticisms to be voiced publicly. |
| HAVE YOUR SAY Itself toothless, the UN is a dead weight on any Middle East issue C Narayanan, India Send us your comments | HAVE YOUR SAY Itself toothless, the UN is a dead weight on any Middle East issue C Narayanan, India Send us your comments |
| A UN source in Jerusalem dismissed Mr Dugard's comments, saying his views were well known and went well beyond his brief. | |
| The source said membership of the Quartet gave the UN a chance to "have influence" in finding a resolution to the conflict. | |
| Mr Dugard is a special rapporteur - an independent expert appointed by the UN secretary general to present reports on human rights to the organisation. Dpecial rapporteurs are advisers and do not decide UN policy. | |
| "Every time I visit, the situation seems to have worsened," he said in a BBC interview. | "Every time I visit, the situation seems to have worsened," he said in a BBC interview. |
| Mr Dugard attributed a "sense of hopelessness" among Palestinians to "the crushing effect of human rights violations", and in particular Israeli restrictions on Palestinians' freedom of movement. | |