Rice coming soon to push peace talks

Washington/Occupied Jerusalem: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's planned trip to perk up the Middle East peace process will be next week and will take her to Israel and Jordan but not the West Bank.

A statement from the office of department spokesman Sean McCormack said that Rice will meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders "to support their ongoing bilateral dialogue."

The statement said Rice also plans to review efforts "to improve conditions on the ground and to advance Palestinian economic development." In Jordan, Rice will talk with King Abdullah II to discuss Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts and regional developments including Lebanon and Iraq.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak has agreed to transfer police cars, rubber-coated steel bullets and night-vision equipment to Palestinian security forces, but remains opposed to removing army checkpoints that hamper Palestinian travel in the West Bank, officials said yesterday.

Barak also plans to grant thousands of permits for Palestinian labourers to work in Israel, the defence officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement.

Barak planned to offer the gestures at a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. The two men meet regularly to discuss security issues, and their talks are an integral part of US-backed Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, which the sides hope will produce a final agreement this year.

The talks, renewed in December, have produced few visible advances.

The US has been pressing Israel to relax its security restrictions as part of efforts to restore trust between the sides and revitalise the Palestinian economy as they try to lay the groundwork for a future state.

The Israeli offers are meant to help the peace efforts by strengthening Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in facing the Hamas group. But Palestinian officials say the Israeli moves are not nearly enough.

"There are many obstacles. Our hope is that these obstacles will be removed," Abbas told reporters in the West Bank town of Ramallah. Still, he said he remains committed to the goal of reaching a deal by the end of the year.