USA: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meets with EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana and her German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier to discuss the Middle East and Iran

Reviving Palestinian Israeli peace talks and how to proceed on Iran were the two main topics of discussion between U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and some high level European diplomats in Washington. Rice met with European Union (EU) Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana, her German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and EU external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner. The Middle East took center stage at a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Javier Solana, her German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and the EU's External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner in Washington on Monday (March 19). The diplomats discussed Iran ahead of a U.N. Security Council decision that could come this week to place more sanctions on Iran for the Islamic state's refusal to halt uranium enrichment. "We have discussed Iran's failure to comply with its obligations to date and the work that is going in the Security Council. We emphasized, again, that while the Security Council we hope will act very soon, we still hope that there are those in Iran who wish to take advantage of the offer to negotiate that has been put before the Iranian government," Rice said. Her German counterpart said they spoke in great detail about Iran and "how to proceed". "You may be aware of the fact that (International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed) Mr. ElBaradei had to take note of the fact that Iran continues to disregard the demands by the IAEA. The Security Council, of course, called upon to think about how to proceed from here. You may be aware of the fact that in the last few days we talked in great intensity about a text of a resolution. We're reaching the final stages here. And I take it that a resolution may be passed in the very near future," Steinmeier said. Rice and Steinmeier, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, also discussed the formation of a unified Palestinian government. The United States and European Union cut off aid to the Palestinian government last year after Hamas, which the West considers a terrorist organization, won parliamentary elections. Solana said they would "never let the Palestinian people down." The new unity government includes Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party. Both Solana and Rice said they were looking forwad to dealing with the new government. "And so we're going to continue to help the Palestinian people, and we're going to continue to deal with Abu Mazen. I'm going to the region at the end of the week. I intend to see him, to talk with him, and to continue to try to work on bettering the lives of the Palestinian people as well as trying to push forward on a political horizon so that the Palestinian people can see the pathway to the establishment of a Palestinian state," Rice said. The U.S. Secretary of State is scheduled to meet foreign ministers of four Arab states in Egypt next week ahead of an Arab summit.

ITN Source | March 20, 2007

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