"Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during a joint press conference with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, not seen, in the Palestinian Authority headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Saturday."
Rice leaves Gaza with no new promises
Secretary of state urges Israeli, Palestinian leaders to coordinate pullout
MSNBC News Services
Updated: 12:03 a.m. ET July 24, 2005
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8659496/JERUSALEM - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice brought the “weight of the United States” to bear on fragile talks over Israel’s handover of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinians, but she won no new commitments during a fresh round of shuttle diplomacy.
“There are discussions, meetings, going on between the two sides and I think they’re making some progress,” Rice said after lengthy meetings Saturday with Palestinian leaders.
“I think we can close many of these issues very expeditiously with enough will and perhaps a change in view here or change in view there,” Rice said in the West Bank city of Ramallah, where Palestinians have their headquarters.
The chief U.S. diplomat met separately with Israeli and Palestinian leaders over three days — the third time that has happened since she took over at the State Department in January.