US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will begin laying the ground for a Mideast peace conference in a visit to Israel today, hoping to push Israelis and Palestinians closer to renewing talks.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today said the United States is “very concerned” about the plight of the Palestinians and pledged to improve living conditions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said today that Arab foreign ministers meeting in Beirut would discuss the possibility of holding an emergency summit on Lebanon later this week.

THE White House, facing a crucial meeting with Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, refused to declassify part of an intelligence report on possible links between individuals in the Saudi government and some of the September 11 hijackers.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud, saying the US and Iraq should make sacrifices for peace, announced today that the kingdom has presented both sides with a proposal to end the fighting, but refused to offer details.