Rice may meet Olmert, Abbas during her Mideast trip: official

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice may have separate meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas during her Mideast trip later this week, a U.S. official said Monday.

Rice may see Olmert in Jerusalem and Abbas at his nearby West Bank headquarters on Thursday, said the U.S. official, who asked not to be identified because Rice's schedule is not fixed yet.

However, the official suggested that despite encouraging signs that both Olmert and Abbas seem interested in new peace efforts, the United States does not want to rush a two- or three-way meeting.

A ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant factions went into effect in the Gaza Strip on Sunday.

Olmert has reportedly offered to reduce checkpoints, release frozen Palestinian money and free prisoners in exchange for serious movement toward peace by the Palestinians.

U.S. President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are scheduled to visit Jordan on Wednesday for talks on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Iraq.

Source: Xinhua