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Rice, Abbas Discuss Ways to Accelerate Mideast Peace Efforts

By Jim Teeple
Jerusalem
30 November 2006

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Thursday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Jericho, and with Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem. VOA's Jim Teeple reports, comments by President Abbas on Thursday have raised new doubts about whether Palestinians will be able to form a new unity government, not led by Hamas.

Secretary Rice says her trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories was to encourage peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, and that a ceasefire agreed to by both sides should be extended. After a meeting with President Abbas, Rice called for Israel to ease restrictions on Palestinians in the West Bank, where, she says, they face daily humiliations.

"The daily difficulties and humiliations that are associated with life for the Palestinian people simply must be eased," said Rice.

Secretary Rice also expressed support for the creation of what she described as a viable and contiguous Palestinian state, saying no actions should be taken to prejudge that goal - a reference to the building of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

However, her remarks were overshadowed by comments made by President Abbas, who in a surprise development, told a Jericho news conference that he believed efforts to form a unity Palestinian government had reached a dead end.

Mr. Abbas says that, after six months of talks, his Fatah faction had not reached any agreement with Hamas, and that it was doubtful that a unity government could be formed any time soon.

The remarks contradicted those made earlier in the day by Ismail Haniyeh, the Palestinian prime minister, and a leading Hamas militant, who said he believed talks to form a government were progressing.

Palestinian factions have been trying to create a new government, not led by Hamas to get donor aid, and customs and tax revenue that Israel turns over to the Palestinians, resumed.

The payments have been suspended because Hamas, which controls the Palestinian government, refuses to recognize Israel. Secretary Rice said Thursday that a new Palestinian government was essential, not only for getting the aid restarted, but also for reviving peace efforts between Palestinians and Israelis.

"Unfortunately because there is not a government with which the international community can deal, it is very difficult to do more past the humanitarian side," she added. "We do believe that, if there was a government that accepted international standards, it would be possible for the international community to do more, if the international principles were respected."

Secretary Rice refused to comment directly on President Abbas' comments Thursday calling them an internal Palestinian matter.