Rice: Peace deal before Bush bows out

Rice: Peace deal before Bush bows out
http://www.jnewswire.com/article/2222
By Stan Goodenough
November 06, 2007

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says she is bringing everything she has to bear to try and ensure the creation of a Palestinian state before President George W. Bush departs the White House next year.

According to the Associated Press, Rice Monday expressed hope that a peace [sic] deal could be reached "within the time remaining for the Bush administration."

Given the intense effort she has devoted to resolving this conflict, (Rice has made no less than eight trips to Jerusalem and Ramallah this year) it appears she and Bush are pinning their final hopes of securing a "legacy" on attaining an Arab-Israeli agreement rather than on scoring successes in Iraq or in the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

PLO/PA chief terrorist Mahmoud Abbas said Monday Rice had assured him that if he will attend the talks planned in Annapolis for later this month, the "core issues" of Jerusalem, Palestine's final borders, and the "Palestinian refugees" will be dealt with as soon as that conference is over.

If she made such a commitment, Rice either did so with the blessing of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, or with the intention of pressuring the Israeli leader into keeping her pledge after the fact.