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      Archive: 5/2/2008
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      News Brief

        5/2/2008, Nissan 27, 5768

      Rice tells PA and Israel Its 'Now or Never'


      American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel Thursday that time is running out for them to decide on borders for a new Arab state within Israel's current borders. Anxious to achieve a final agreement before next January, when American President George W. Bush leaves office, she insisted that expanding Israeli communities does not mean they will remain a part of Israel. Speaking in London on the eve of a PA-hosted donor conference, she stated. "I do not, and the United States government does not, accept that anything done prior to agreement can ... present a fait accompli or determine the final outcome."

      Secretary Rice estimated that the "window for the two-state solution is not open forever, [and] I think you could argue it's gotten narrower and narrower over time." She plans to visit Israel and the PA next week in an attempt to advance negotiations before a visit by American President George W. Bush the following week.