US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday held talks in Jordan with intelligence chiefs of four Arab states seen as crucial in backing Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in his power struggle with Hamas.
Additionally, Rice briefed Jordan's King Abdullah II on her joint meeting Monday in Jerusalem with Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, AFP reported.
The power-sharing deal brokered by Saudi Arabia earlier this month caught the US administration by surprise, according to a senior US official. Washington backed a bid by Abbas to call new elections in hopes of sidelining Hamas. The unity government deal infuriated Israel and almost torpedoed Monday's summit, officials said.
During her five-hour visit to Jordan, Rice will seek an explanation of the unity government deal from the Saudi national security adviser Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the senior US official said. Also attending the meeting will be Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman and his counterparts from Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
She will also discuss ways the four Arab states can help deal with security issues raised in Monday's Israeli-Palestinian meeting, the official said. These include putting an end to arms smuggling from Egypt into the Gaza Strip, and boosting the presence of security forces loyal to Abbas in northern Gaza Strip. The official said Washington considers the four Arab nations "critical backers" of Abbas in his showdown with Hamas.
