US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice began talks with Palestinian Premier Ahmed Qorei yesterday, a US embassy spokesman said, aiming to renew Washington's pledge to foster the creation of a Palestinian state if its leadership combats "terrorism."
The two sat down for talks at a US installation in the capital, the spokesman said.
Rice was to give a briefing later on the discussions while Qorei holds meetings with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer. Rice and Fischer also met briefly yesterday morning. The talks come on the heels of meetings between US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Qorei on Saturday in Jordan -- the highest-level US contact with the Palestinian official since he took office last year.
The Palestinian diplomatic representative in Germany, Abdallah Frangi, said in an interview with Berlin's InfoRadio yesterday that it was "no accident" that Rice's meeting with Qorei was taking place in Berlin.
Frangi said the Berlin talks were evidence "that Germany supports the peace process in the Middle East and I believe the Germans can do a lot in this area."
Rice said after her arrival in the German capital Sunday that she would set out the conditions during the meeting for further US support of the Palestinians in peace.
"I hope when I meet with the prime minister tomorrow to say to him that the United States is ready to be a partner to the Palestinian people in the building of their state," she told public broadcaster ARD.
She said that Washington expected "movement" from the Palestinians on the implementation of the road map for Middle East peace, which foresees an independent Palestinian state next to a secure Israel.
"We are ready to be full partners with the Palestinians in doing that. We need movement from the Palestinians on those elements of the road map."
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