Quds city, Feb 7, SPA -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday turned her attention to the new Palestinian leadership after telling Israelis they must make hard decisions for peace _ part of the run-up to the first full-fledged summit meeting between Israeli and Palestinian leaders after four years of violence. Rice held talks with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in the former headquarters of the late Yasser Arafat. The Palestinians want Rice to press Israel for additional gestures during the summit between Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Tuesday in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik. Rice's two-day visit, her first to the Middle East since taking over the State Department, is meant to nudge both sides to take hold of what she called "a time of opportunity." On Monday morning, Rice met separately with Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres and Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz. After meetings with Israeli leaders, Rice urged both sides to live up to their promises. "This is a hopeful time, but it is a time also of great responsibility for all of us to make certain that we act on the words that we speak," she said before her 90-minute meeting with Sharon on Sunday evening, adding that her goal was to "try to advance the cause of peace and to overcome the scourge of terrorism." Sharon greeted Rice warmly, telling her in English, "you are among friends." "Her visit, I believe, will contribute to the peace process that we so much want to advance," Sharon said in Hebrew. --MORE 1316 Local Time 1016 GMT
