Middle East summit fails to make progress

Mideast talks between US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and the Israeli and Palestinian leaders ended today with little progress other than a commitment to meet again.

The meeting was initially billed as a new US push to restart peace efforts.

In a 90-second statement following the two-hour meeting in Jerusalem, Ms Rice said the two sides exchanged views of the political future and agreed to hold another summit.

Neither Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas nor Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert joined Ms Rice as she delivered her statement, and she left the room without taking questions from reporters.

The meeting was beset by low expectations amid US and Israeli dissatisfaction with a Palestinian power-sharing deal. It got off to a lacklustre start, with Ms Rice, Mr Abbas and Mr Olmert clasping hands together and flashing polite smiles for the cameras in an unadorned hotel conference room.

The three met without any aides, except for Ms Rice’s Arabic interpreter, officials said. After about an hour, they moved to Ms Rice’s suite overlooking Jerusalem’s Old City, giving them a more comfortable setting to work.

The three leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the internationally-backed “road map” peace plan and agreed that a solution to the conflict will not be “born of violence", Ms Rice said.

“The president and prime minister agreed that they would meet together again soon. They reiterated their desire for American participation and leadership to overcome obstacles, rally regional and international support and move forward toward peace. In that vein, I expect to return to the region soon,” Ms Rice said after the meeting.

Mr Olmert was to meet with members of his Kadima party later today to discuss the talks.

Ms Rice reported no progress in restarting final-status talks, the ostensible purpose of the meeting when it was announced last month.

Expectations for the talks plummeted last week after Mr Abbas and the Islamic Hamas militants who control the Palestinian parliament agreed to a power-sharing deal that fell short of meeting international demands.

The international community has demanded that any Palestinian government recognise Israel, accept previous peace deals and renounce violence, but the coalition deal, forged earlier this month in Saudi Arabia, only pledges to “respect” past peace agreements.