The United States denied on Monday reports that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was to travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories next week.
"There is no such plan," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters. "She will be in Africa with the president next week, starting on Friday afternoon and they are getting back on Wednesday night."
Bush will visit Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana and Liberia from Feb. 15-21 for talks on economic development and fighting against HIV/AIDS and other diseases, according to an announcement by the White House last month.
Rice was reportedly to visit the Palestinian autonomous region to push the Palestinian-Israel negotiations within the coming days.
U.S. President George W. Bush visited, among other Arab countries, Israel, the Palestinian territories in January in a bid to promote the Middle East peace process and to contain Iran's influence in the region.
Source: Xinhua
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