Rice Lowers Expectations For Mideast Peace Talks

JERUSALEM - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice opened an intense round of Mideast shuttle diplomacy Sunday, struggling to bring Israelis and Palestinians close enough to make a planned U.S.-hosted peace conference worthwhile.

The two sides are at odds over an outline of a peace agreement that would be presented at next month's conference, and Rice sought to lower expectations her mission would finalize preparations for the gathering.

Underscoring her less-than-optimistic assessment, Israelis and Palestinians traded shots about the other's commitment to peace even as she arrived in the region. During her four-day visit she will bounce between Israel and the West Bank, seeking a consensus.

Her hope is to close the gap as Israel and the Palestinian Authority try to forge an outline of an eventual peace deal and produce a joint statement for the conference. It is expected to held in Annapolis, Md., in late November.

But after Rice's first series of meetings, a senior State Department official hinted the date could slide as the lead negotiators for the two sides will begin only this week to try to craft the document.

Also, on her flight from Moscow, where she held talks with Russian leaders, Rice said she did not believe her visit would clear the way for that statement or make enough progress so that conference invitations could go out.

'I do think it's important that they address the core issues in some fashion,' she said. 'I also think it's important that the document be substantive enough that it points that there is a way forward toward the establishment of a Palestinian state.'

Israel is pressing for a vaguely worded document that would give it more room to maneuver. The Palestinians want a detailed preliminary agreement with a timetable for creating a Palestinian state, as well as specifics on borders, sovereignty over disputed Jerusalem and a solution for Palestinian refugees.

Israel said Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni would lead negotiations with the Palestinian team led by Ahmed Qureia, a former prime minister.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told his Cabinet he did not believe the joint statement was a prerequisite for the conference. He repeated that in his two-hour plus meeting with Rice, according to his office.

The goal, Olmert said, 'is to arrive at a joint statement during the international conference, even though the existence of such a statement was never a condition for holding this conference.'

But the acting Palestinian foreign minister, Riad Malki, said his side would skip the conference without agreement on a statement.

Ahead of her meetings, Rice delivered a rare warning to Israel not to take any steps that might erode confidence in the peace process. 'This is a very delicate time,' she said. 'It's just a time to be extremely careful.'

Her comments referred to the renewal of a road project that Palestinians fear is intended to tighten Israeli control over strategic West Bank areas near Jerusalem. Israel says construction is not imminent and is meant to ease Palestinian movement.

MIDEAST HURDLES

TALKS: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice opened an intense round of Mideast shuttle diplomacy Sunday.

DISAGREEMENT: Israelis and Palestinians are at odds over the outline of an agreement that would be presented at a planned peace conference next month.

SPECIFICS: Israel is pressing for a vaguely worded document that would give it more room to maneuver, but the Palestinians want a detailed preliminary agreement.