Talks to centre on Iraq, Palestinian peace efforts
CAIRO: US Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice will visit Egypt later this month as part of a regional tour to ramp up Middle East Peace efforts and gain support for President Bush’s renewed offensive in Iraq, American officials announced.
“It s no secret that we have encouraged states in the region, whether it s Egypt or Saudi Arabia or the Gulf states, to offer their support to the Government of Iraq, said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.
“I would expect that this is a trip that is more about laying the foundations for potential future actions than actually coming to closure on any particular agreements, he added.
Rice will also visit Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the Palestinian Territories. She will begin her tour with a visit to Israel. She will return to Europe on January 24th to attend a fund raising conference for the cash-strapped Lebanese government, which is struggling to recover from last summer’s devastating war between Israel and Hezbollah.
