U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday expressed belief that there was still a chance to reach a peace agreement between Israeli and the Palestinian on the outlines of a Palestinian state.
"We still believe that we have a chance to reach an agreement on the basic contours of a peaceful Palestinian state. I know that this is ambitious," Rice told an annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israeli lobby group.
"But if we can pursue this goal by the end of the year, it will be an historic breakthrough," Rice said.
She made the remarks as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is here for talks with U.S. President George W. Bush in addition to attending the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee's annual policy conference.
The Bush administration sponsored an international meeting in Annapolis, Maryland, in November 2007 in a bid to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas pledged at the Annapolis meeting to try to reach a deal before Bush leaves the White House in January 2009.
Source:Xinhua
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