The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Washington

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met the heads of the Israeli and Palestinian negotiation teams over the weekend, as part of last-ditch efforts to bridge gaps ahead of key Middle East peace talks. As President George W. Bush said he was "personally committed" to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, his top diplomat met Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and former Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qorei in Washington. They were seeking to hammer out differences over a document to go before the conference in Annapolis, Maryland, which seeks to kickstart the Middle East peace process virtually frozen for seven years. Livni and Qorei held a preparatory meeting with their teams ahead of the three-way meeting over dinner, after which the top Palestinian negotiator said "we are working seriously to reach a joint statement.