By Xinhua
Ramallah : U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit the Middle East in the middle of this month, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Sunday.
“Rice will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to follow up the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations,” Erekat told Voice of Palestine radio.
“The negotiations will focus on a document representing a framework solution with Israel and dealing with the final status issues to be put forward for the (U.S.-hosted) November conference(on Mideast peace),” he added.
The agenda of the conference depends on what Israeli and Palestinian negotiation teams can achieve before November, according to Erekat.
The crews will talk Jerusalem status when a Palestinian statehood is created, as well as issues like the return of refugees and the West Bank settlements, he said.
The chief Palestinian negotiator said he could not confirm if Rice was going to hold three-way meeting with Olmert and Abbas to bring their views over the November conference closer.