Rice begins new push to end Arab-Israeli conflict

[DoYouEverWonder]

Nov 29, 2006

AMMAN (Reuters) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice embarks on a new push to revive peace moves between Israel and the Palestinians on Wednesday with the United States under pressure from Arab allies to make it a priority.

Rice, who arrives in Jordan on Wednesday, is due to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem for talks on Thursday.

Rice will first attend a summit between U.S. President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Amman.

Hopes of reviving Israeli-Palestinian talks got a sudden lift this week when a ceasefire took hold in the Gaza Strip to end five months of bloodshed and Olmert made a new call for permanent peace with the Palestinians.

http://thestaronline.com/news/story.asp?file=/2006/11/30/worldupdates/2006-11-29T232924Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_-278306-1&sec=Worldupdates

Did anyone bother to tell this twit, that Iraq is falling apart and Iran has just taken over?

[JudyM]

1. So the administration is finally starting to do some actual work... how nice of them.

:sarcasm:

I only hope that with the Dems' help, chimpie will finally learn by the end of his tenure what that "hard work" he always talks about actually feels like.

[theoldman]

2. It's six years too late for Rice and Bush to do anything about

the Israeli conflict. No one will listen to them after the fiasco in Iraq. If it were not for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there would never have been a war in Iraq. I am always amazed that so few of our politicians understand this. I believe that President Carter understands it very well.

[Imagevision]

9. Rice is nothing but talk and photo-ops - no progress, just clothes shopping!!

[saigon68]

12. She is all about her beautiful smile

[partylessinOhio]

3. Shut the F up! Just keep sitting and making goo goo eyes at your husband.

You have done nothing for peace, so shut the F up!

[Tempest]

4. Her efforts are doomed to fail

The Palestinians and Lebanese won't forget how the Bush administration refused to pressure Israel to stop their bombing of Lebanon and the deaths of innocent civilians that could have been prevented.

Nor will they forget how the administration sped up delivery of additional bombs that were used by Israel against Lebanon.

[leveymg]

5. At this point, that's a sideshow and a distraction from the Main Event

The carving up of Iraq. Pass the platter, please, Mr. President Ahmadinejad.

Thank you, Mr. President Baker.

How about you, Abdullah, care for a slice?

No Turkey for you, naughty PKK, get down and away from the table.

[AlamoDemoc]

6. Been there, Done that! n/t

[datadiva]

7. She waited for them to work out a ceasefire

Now she'll jump in and try to take credit for it.

[Imagevision]

8. Rice doesn't appear to be making any progress as secretary of state- all talk all bullshit!

no results!

[IndianaGreen]

10. Condi is the war criminal that opposed a ceasefire in Lebanon

She has as much credibility as Adolf Hitler at an AIPAC convention.

[Malva Zebrina]

11. Condi Rice is a nothing--I see her photo ops descending from a plane

and she poses as the "it girl"

She thinks her job is to be the "it' girl" and apparently loves that.

Other than that ego boosting photo ops, she contributes absolutely nothing at all.

I often wonder how this "it girl" who exposes her thighs at every meeting to the point where she almost exposes her crotch, ever got a Phd.

Says something eh?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

13. Does this mean I need to buy another roadmap?

[blue agave]

14. Did anyone bother to tell this twit, that that al-Maliki didn't show up ?

The abrupt cancellation of Wednesday's opening session was an almost unheard-of development in the high-level diplomatic circles of a U.S. president, a king and a prime minister. Confusion — and conflicting explanations — ensued .

<http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061130/ap_on_re_mi_ea/bush>

Never the less, these boots were made for walkin'... or something ?

<>

[Scurrilous]

15. Solution to Baghdad violence: pressure on J'lem

New York Sun newspaper reports that Iraq Study Group will recommend that Bush Administration applies pressure on Israel to make concessions to Palestinians which could sway moderate Arab countries to help stabilize Iraq

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3334339,00.html

<snip>

"An expert who's being consulted by the Baker-Hamilton committee, the special bipartisan committee for Iraq, says the committee will recommend that President George W. Bush exert pressure on Israel to make political concessions to soften Arab countries and assist in improving the situation in Iraq.

The committee, which is headed by former secretary of state James Baker and former Democratic representative Lee Hamilton, is expected to submit its final report on Wednesday.

The New York Sun newspaper reported Thursday that Raymond Close, an expert advising the committee, is in favor of engaging Iran and Syria .

Close, who retired from the CIA in 1977, and has been doing business in Saudi Arabia since his retirement, expects the report to recommend that Israel be pressured to make concessions.

A memorandum sent to expert advisors Close says that the commission is likely to advice the Bush administration holds a summit, which will include Israel, "to enlist the support of neighboring states in establishing stability in Iraq," the New York Sun reported."

[EFerrari]

16. A new push? Did I miss her first failed one? n/t

[otohara]

17. Wouldn't This Be "The First" Push

besides endorsing "Road Map to Peace" which was 6 years ago - they've done nada!