Rice likely to visit West Asoa in next several weeks

WASHINGTON, Mar 9 (Reuters) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to visit the West Asia in the next several weeks to continue efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the State Department said today.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack declined to provide details on the likely trip but said it was expected to include meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials and possibly other regional players.

''I would expect that within the next several weeks she will travel again to the region on the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,'' he told reporters, saying no final decisions have been made on her travel.

''I would expect that she would, as it stands right now, meet with Israelis, meet with Palestinians and she may also have some other meetings in the region with people that she normally meets with,'' he added, declining to provide details.

After talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in February, Rice visited Jordan for talks with officials from the so-called Arab Quartet -- Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Jordan.

McCormack said ''there is no basis to'' a report in Egyptian daily newspaper Al Masry Al Youm saying Egypt may host a conference that would include Rice along with the Iranian and Syrian foreign ministers.

The United States will join mid-level Iranian and Syrian officials in a group meeting of Iraq's neighbors and major powers in Baghdad on Saturday. A similar gathering of ministers is expected to be held later this year, possibly in April.

US officials have said Istanbul is under discussion as the venue for that meeting.

REUTERS PDM KN2321