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11-06-2008, 10:40 AM
Rice all but concedes Israel-Palestinian peace deal by year-end not possible
By Matthew Lee, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TEL AVIV, Israel - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is all but conceding that an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal by a year-end is no longer possible.
But Rice also said upon arriving in Tel Aviv on Thursday that "it is important to maintain momentum and support for the negotiations." Rice says political uncertainty in Israel is currently the main complication blocking a deal.
Washington's top diplomat is making her eighth trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories since negotiators for the two sides set the year-end deadline.
With her time in office rapidly waning, Rice is hoping to shore up the fragile Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and leave a viable process for the incoming Obama administration.
Although she refused to absolutely rule out the chance of an agreement by year's end, her remarks Thursday are the first by a Bush administration official to specifically cast doubt on the prospect.
"It is our expectation that the Annapolis process has laid groundwork which should make possible the establishment of a Palestinian state when the political circumstances permit," Rice said.
"I think that whatever happens by the end of the year, you've got a firm foundation for quickly moving this forward to conclusion."
Story continued....
(http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2008/11/06/7324311-ap.html)
By Matthew Lee, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TEL AVIV, Israel - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is all but conceding that an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal by a year-end is no longer possible.
But Rice also said upon arriving in Tel Aviv on Thursday that "it is important to maintain momentum and support for the negotiations." Rice says political uncertainty in Israel is currently the main complication blocking a deal.
Washington's top diplomat is making her eighth trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories since negotiators for the two sides set the year-end deadline.
With her time in office rapidly waning, Rice is hoping to shore up the fragile Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and leave a viable process for the incoming Obama administration.
Although she refused to absolutely rule out the chance of an agreement by year's end, her remarks Thursday are the first by a Bush administration official to specifically cast doubt on the prospect.
"It is our expectation that the Annapolis process has laid groundwork which should make possible the establishment of a Palestinian state when the political circumstances permit," Rice said.
"I think that whatever happens by the end of the year, you've got a firm foundation for quickly moving this forward to conclusion."
Story continued....
(http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2008/11/06/7324311-ap.html)