U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice wrapped up her short visit to Egypt after winning tempered support of the Arab country for a U.S.-sponsored international conference on Mideast peace. At a joint press conference with Rice, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit promised his country’s support for the planned meeting, which was expected to be held this fall in Annapolis, Maryland. Abul Gheit added that Rice’s visit helped the two sides understand the objective of the US-initiated peace meeting. For her part, Rice stressed that there is a lot of work to do for the US-sponsored Mideast conference which aims to revive the stalled Mideast peace process. Asked about the possibility of putting off the meeting if Israel and the Palestinians failed to reach a joint document ahead of the conference, Abul Gheit said it should be better to put off the meeting if the two sides need more time for a joint document as the basis for final-status talks. Israel and the Palestinians still differ with each other as to what they should agree on before the conference.
RICE GETS SUPPORT IN EGYPT
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice wrapped up her short visit to Egypt after winning tempered support of the Arab country for a U.S.-sponsored international conference on Mideast peace.