Washington - Reaching a Middle East peace deal by the end of
the year will be 'difficult' but the Israelis and Palestinians are
committed to the goal, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said
Tuesday.
Rice's comments came ahead of a meeting planned for Wednesday with
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and chief Palestinian negotiator
Ahmed Qureia in Washington.
Rice intends to continue to urge the two sides to reach an
agreement, despite Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's statement on
Monday that reaching a deal on the status of Jerusalem was unlikely
before the end of the year.
'I am quite certain and I have been assured that the government of
Prime Minister Olmert remains committed to the Annapolis vision of
concluding an agreement by the end of the year,' Rice said after
meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini. 'There is no
doubt that this is difficult work.'
Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed at the peace
conference hosted in November by President George W Bush in
Annapolis, Maryland, to reach an agreement by year's end.
'I do not believe we can reach understandings this year which will
include the subject of Jerusalem,' Olmert told a Knesset committee on
Monday, before adding other differences could be overcome.
The Palestinians have strongly objected to Israeli plans to expand
settlement, especially in East Jerusalem, which Israel seized in the
1967 war. The city's status remains a key point of contention in a
peace agreement. Both sides claim Jerusalem as their capital.
The United States opposes more Israeli settlement and continues to
remind Israel that expansions violate the 2002 internationally backed
roadmap peace plan, US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack
said.
'The fact that there are these continuing activities with respect
to settlement activity is a problem. We've talked to the Israelis
about that,' McCormack said.
Rice will meet with the Israeli and Palestinian delegations and
also hold a three-way gathering in an effort to broker progress. Vice
President Dick Cheney and Bush national security adviser Stephen
Hadley are also expected to participate.
USA
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