Rice arrives in Cairo, seeks support

Source: ap



Rice arrives in Cairo, seeks support

By MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press Writer 13 minutes ago

CAIRO, Egypt - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sought support from Egypt on Tuesday in her quest to nudge Israelis and Palestinians closer together before a Mideast peace conference tentatively set for late November.

Rice arrived in Cairo and was scheduled to speak with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who has played a key role in mediating large and small conflicts between Israel and the Palestinians and among squabbling Palestinians factions.

After talks in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Monday, Rice said Israel and the Palestinians must agree on how and when to start formal peace talks.

In one of her strongest statements yet on the issue, Rice declared that creation of a Palestinian state is a key U.S. interest and urged the two sides to drop contentious demands and reach consensus on a substantive joint statement ahead of the international conference.

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