Sources in the Prime Minister’s Office said Saturday that United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to issue invitations to a planned Mideast peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland when she returns to the area. Rice’s next visit will be in early November.
Israeli and Palestinian Authority officials continue to meet in an attempt to create a joint statement to be read at the conference, Israeli officials said. While Israel has called for serious negotiations to begin after the conference, PA officials have insisted that Israel agree to compromise on “core issues” such as control of Jerusalem and the “right of return” before the conference, and have threatened not to participate in the conference without Israeli concessions in advance.