US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Monday Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed of the United Arab Emirates and they exchanged views on a broad range of bilateral and multilateral issues.

The two leaders discussed US efforts to support the constitution-drafting process in Iraq, plan for disengagement from Gaza and parts of the West Bank, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said at a news briefing.

Rice also talked about counterterrorism efforts, and the international community's efforts to enlist Iran's compliance with its commitments on nuclear development, McCormack said.

The secretary also spoke in positive terms about the UAE's efforts to promote economic and political reform in the gulf country, McCormack said, adding that both Rice and Hamdan bin Zayed stressed the importance of staying in close contact.

Source: Xinhua