By Xinhua
Jerusalem : Visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday morning that the Israelis and the Palestinians have a joint responsibility to create an atmosphere and a reality in which the Palestinians are committed to Israel’s security and Israel is committed to the Palestinians’ quality of life.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in Jerusalem, Rice, who started Saturday a three-day shuttle visit to the Middle East in a bid to discuss practical ways to improve the lives of Palestinians, added that she expected both Israel and the Palestinians to carry out meaningful things in the economic and the security fields.
“I understand the security considerations and I would hope and I expect that we’re going to be able to some things, or that Israel and the Palestinians together will be able to do some things, that are meaningful both for security and for economic viability,” Rice told reporters.
During her second trip in a month to the Middle East, Rice planned to hold two trilateral meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, according to local media.
On Sunday, Rice will meet with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. In addition, she will hold a trilateral meeting on Monday with Livni and former Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei.
Rice said earlier this month that neither Israel nor the Palestinians had done “nearly enough” to carry out the 2003 “Road Map” peace plan under which Israel is required to halt West Bank settlement activity and uproot settler outposts and the Palestinians to rein in militants.