JERUSALEM (Thomson Financial) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Israeli leaders on Sunday at the start of her latest Middle East tour, warning that she did not expect a major peace breakthrough ahead of a US-sponsored meeting next month.
And she said she will tell Israel that its expropriation of Arab land near Jerusalem erodes confidence ahead of the conference, which is aimed at ending almost seven years of deadlock in Middle East peacemaking.
'The point that I will be making is that we have to be very careful as we are trying to move toward the establishment of a Palestinian state about actions and statements that erode confidence in the parties' commitment to a two-state solution,' Rice told reporters travelling with her.
She was responding to a question about Israel's confiscation of land between occupied east Jerusalem and the key West Bank settlement of Maale Adumim last week, reviving fears that the territory could be split in two.
Although Israel informed her that the seized land was earmarked for a road 'to improve Palestinian mobility' and was 'not imminent,' Rice said the timing of such projects was too sensitive in the run-up to the US-sponsored peace conference.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office declined reaction to Rice's comments. tf.TFN-Europe_newsdesk@thomson.com afp/hjp COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Financial News Limited 2007. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Thomson Financial News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Financial News.