DPA: Rice rallies support for Palestinian President Abbas

By Pakinam Amer
Oct 4, 2006, 19:00 GMT

Cairo - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who met Tuesday with foreign ministers from eight Arab countries, said she was trying to rally support for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and urged jump-starting the peace process with Israel.
She said she was greatly concerned for innocent Palestinians caught in continuing violence.
Rice arrived Tuesday in Cairo on a planned five-day tour of the Middle East, including stops in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
'I would hope that (Abbas) knows that he is admired and respected, and there is a great desire to help him to help the Palestinian people, who need a government who can respect the Palestinian people and be committed to their well-being,' Rice told reporters.
She met for two-and-a-half hours with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit and the foreign ministers of Jordan and the Gulf Cooperation Council members - Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait. Rice said that they discussed ways to support Abbas.
The selection of countries raised eyebrows among the Egyptian press, with critics charging that the US was trying to form a 'coalition of states' to stand up to Iran.
During the news conference, Abul-Gheit insisted that there were 'no coalition groups or alliances here. This a meeting between friends. It is not the first and will not be the last.' He said the intent was to establish 'peace and stability.'
Rice said the meeting was not a 'new coalition.'
'We add the voices of the states that have a lot to say about how to resolve the problems in the region,' she said.
Rice pointed out that Egypt and Jordan had 'themselves resolved their differences with Israel, and they are models of how peace can be brought' between adversaries.
Facing intense pressure from the Hamas-led Cabinet elected earlier this year, Abbas has been riding a rising wave of tensions between Palestinian factions, with 11 people killed over the last two days and 122 wounded.
Abbas, who leads the Fatah faction, and Hamas have been deadlocked over Hamas' refusal to recognize Israel, stalling a planned Palestinian national unity government.
Conditions have worsened in the Palestinian territories since the United Sates and European Union cut their economic aid in an attempt to pressure Hamas into a settlement. Although the US and EU continue to funnel humanitarian and medical aid through non-governmental organizations, public employee wages have gone unpaid for six months, adding to the tension between Fatah and Hamas.
On a separate issue, Rice answered questions about Egypt's intention to develop civilian nuclear energy, saying that US President George W Bush supports 'access to civilian nuclear power' for the diversification of energy resources.
'We are supporting states that may wish to go this way, and we would be pleased to discuss this with Egypt,' added Rice. 'But I don't want to get ahead of the Egyptian government.'
The international community is currently wrestling with oil-rich Iran over its civilian nuclear programme and has demanded that Tehran stop enriching uranium - a process that can lead to weapons-grade material.
Iran insists it only wants a civilian energy programme and has repeatedly defied international deadlines. It could face UN Security Council sanctions.
Iran tops Rice's agenda during her Mideast tour, which will also address 'possible threats to stability' in the region and Hezbollah militancy in Lebanon. The US and Israel charge that Iran has supported Hezbollah, the Shiite militia that dominates southern Lebanon.
Rice met Monday with Saudi Arabian King Abdullah and Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal in the Red Sea port of Jeddah, where she accused Syria of bolstering Palestinian militants and smuggling weapons to Hezbollah.
Rice is due to meet early Wednesday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

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