Condoleezza Rice to visit West Asia this week

Washington, Jan 10: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice willleave for the Middle East and Europe on Friday in another US drive torevive stalled Arab-Israeli peace efforts and stabilize Iraq.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said on Tuesday Ricewould visit Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Egypt, SaudiArabia, Kuwait, Germany and Britain on her trip, which starts onJanuary 12 and ends on January 19.

Rice also plans to travel to Paris later this month for an international donors conference on Lebanon, said McCormack.

Beirut hopes it will raise four billion dollars to help its economy recover from a devastating war with Israel last year.

The State Department said last week Rice would focus on threeissues during her West Asia trip -- making progress onIsraeli-Palestinian peace, promoting stability in Lebanon and findingways to support the Iraqi government to ''achieve a more stable, securesituation in Iraq.'' The visit comes just days after President George WBush's planned announcement of his new strategy to tackle the nearlyfour-year conflict in Iraq.

In his speech tomorrow, Bush is expected to announce plans to sendabout 20,000 more troops to Iraq, seeking to salvage the US mission inthe unpopular war despite opposition from Democrats who say it willworsen the situation.

Bush's new plan is also expected to include setting ''benchmarks''for the Iraqi government to meet, aimed at easing sectarian violenceand stabilizing the country.

West Asia analysts are skeptical of any real progress on theIsraeli-Palestinian issue until the standoff between PalestinianPresident Mahmoud Abbas and the Hamas-led government of Prime MinisterIsmail Haniyeh is resolved.

Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met on December 23and agreed to try to revive peace negotiations that collapsed in 2000.Hamas, in contrast, has refused to recognize Israel's right to exist,to respect past peace deals or to renounce violence -- three conditionsfor ending a Western aid boycott.

Washington wants Israel and the Palestinians to return to theUS-sponsored ''roadmap'' peace plan. The United States also plans toprovide additional funding to boost Abbas' security forces.

Rice was last in the region early December when she said aftermeeting Abbas and Olmert separately that she saw a ''little opening''for reviving talks.

Reuters>