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Bekijk Volledige Versie : Rice in fresh Mid-East peace bid



mark61
04-05-08, 13:29
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has begun a day of talks in the Middle East aimed at advancing peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.

She has arrived in Ramallah where she is meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Ms Rice is raising pressure on Israel to ease freedom of movement for Palestinians in the West Bank.

On her plane from London on Saturday, she said she would be asking about an Israeli promise to lift 61 roadblocks.

She added that "everybody [was] looking to the Palestinians to take responsibility for security".

'Little progress'

Before travelling to Ramallah on Sunday morning, Ms Rice met Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

She had had talks over dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Saturday evening, after her arrival.

Her visit is laying the ground for President George W Bush's trip to the region later this month.

The US administration is hoping it can bring about a deal between the Palestinians and the Israelis but correspondents say that with just nine months to go before Mr Bush's term ends, time is running out.

Several hundred members of the Palestinian security forces took up positions in the West Bank town of Jenin on Saturday as part of a security plan backed by the Americans and approved by Israel.

Hundreds of Palestinian security forces have already been deployed under the plan in the town of Nablus.

But Mr Abbas's government has complained that continued Israeli raids against militants in the West Bank undermine the efforts of the Palestinian forces.

Israeli-Palestinian talks

Mr Olmert and Mr Abbas are set to hold a bilateral meeting in Jerusalem on Monday after Ms Rice's departure, according to Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.

But the BBC's Kim Ghattas says that after months of talks, there is little evidence of progress as the economic situation of Palestinians, especially in Gaza, deteriorates.

At a Middle East Quartet meeting of the EU, UN, Russia and US on Friday, Ms Rice urged international donors and Arab countries in particular, to live up to their pledges to the Palestinians.

The Quartet also called on Israelis to freeze all settlement activities and urged the Palestinians to curb militant attacks, saying both sides should refrain from any actions that undermined peace talks.

Schaamt Condi zich nooit als ze 's nachts in haar bedje ligt?

Anti-Imperialist
05-05-08, 02:10
Every time I look at her, all I see is that giant space between her teeth. Fix them.

Anti-Imperialist
05-05-08, 02:24
As long as Israel continues to build racist Jewish-only settlements on internationaly recognized Palestinian land there will Never be peace.