U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, speaking a press conrference with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in Jericho, said Thursday that Bush administration wanted to "intensify our efforts" to renew the peace process, and praised Abbas's efforts.
According to news agencies, she said that the U.S. has made clear it expects a viable, contiguous Palestinian state when it is created, and that no actions should be taken now to prejudge the outcome of a final peace agreement. Rice added that the U.S. is interested in seeing Palestinian Authority reforms of its security services and political institutions.
Meanwhile, Abbas told reporters that talks on a unity government with the ruling Hamas movement had reached an impasse. "Unfortunately we are at a dead end," Abbas said. "For eight or nine months, the Palestinian people have gone without salaries, but unfortunately we have not reached an agreement."
On his part, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said on Thursday that talks on a Palestinian government of national unity would not run into a dead end. "The atmosphere has been somewhat tense but I am confident that the door must not be closed and we will not reach a dead end," Haniyeh told a news conference in Cairo, according to Reuters.
