The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Washington

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice heads to the Middle East next week to lay the groundwork for a US-sponsored regional peace conference, as talks between Israelis and Palestinians begin to intensify. Rice will travel to Jerusalem and Ramallah from September 18-20, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Wednesday. She will meet with top officials "in order to continue the discussions on advancing the development of a political horizon and the two-state solution," McCormack said. During the long-anticipated trip, Rice "wants to build upon some of the progress the two parties themselves have made during their discussions recently," he added, referring to recent meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas. US President George W. Bush has called for the international conference, expected to be held in November, in order to jumpstart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.