Condoleeza Rice Going Out To Talk
Once again Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is off to foreign lands to try to sort out the world's problems. She will be trying to sell President Bush's 'final ditch effort' to bring stability to Iraq. She will also be working away to solve the problems with Israel and Palestine as well as get assurances from other arab states that they will work toward peace in Iraq - not fortify their borders for an assault on Iraq once the US presence there disappears.
Rice is embarking on a weeklong trip across the Middle East and the Persian Gulf before consulting with allies in Western Europe.
Meanwhile, in the Middle East:
Prime Minister Ismail Haniya, speaking on Palestinian television, said, "the American and Israeli policies seek to push the Palestinian people toward civil war and internal conflict so that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict becomes a Palestinian-Palestinian conflict."
"I call on the Palestinian people and factions, in particular Hamas and Fatah, to halt internal clashes," Mr. Haniya said.
Questionned about the negative response at home to Bush's speech:
"I heard skepticism; I didn’t hear alternatives that one can really pursue," she said Friday.
Rice said flagging support for the war at home does not weaken her hand abroad.
Arab allies regularly urge the United States to reinvigorate Israeli-Arab peace efforts as a start toward addressing problems elsewhere, including in Iraq and Iran.
Although Rice seemed eager to switch focus away from Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian problems may be equally difficult.
While being careful to avoid sounding overly optimistic, Rice said there is a new opportunity for progress and suggested she will reward Abbas for standing firm against Hamas. The Bush administration is asking Congress to approve $85 million to train and equip Abbas’ security forces, and Rice did not rule out a bold stroke to propose rough boundaries of an eventual Palestinian state.
