Rice's visit fails to restart talks

Talks between Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the Israeli and Palestinian leaders, initially billed as a new U.S. push to restart peace efforts, ended Monday with little progress other than a commitment to meet again. In a 90-second statement following the two-hour meeting, Rice said the three discussed the changed political circumstances arising from a Palestinian power-sharing deal that includes Hamas militants.

U.S. and Israeli dissatisfaction with a Palestinian power-sharing deal clouded the talks.

Neither Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas nor Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert joined Rice as she delivered her statement, and she left the room without taking questions from reporters.

Rice reported no progress in restarting talks on difficult issues that will define a future Palestinian state, such as borders, the fate of disputed Jerusalem and the right that Palestinians claim to return to homes they left when Israel was created.

Rice said she would return soon to the Middle East to push forward with attempts to restart peace making.

[Forbes] [CBS] [AP]

Maybe Jimmy Carter should give it a try.