Rice shuttles between Mideast rivals as Arabs push peace plan

JERUSALEM: US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice shuttled between Israeli and Palestinian leaders for a second day Monday as Arab states revived a five-year-old peace plan to positive noises from Israel, David Millikin.

As Arab foreign ministers gathered in Saudi Arabia endorsed their 2002 peace blueprint and called for contacts with all parties including the Jewish state, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he was willing to join a meeting of Arab leaders.

A four-way meeting with Israel, Palestinians, Arab moderates and the Middle East peace Quartet — the European Union, the United Nations, United States and Russia — has reportedly been at the centre of discussions between Rice and regional leaders during her tour.

“If such an invitation would come my way, I would look at it in a very positive way,” he told a joint press conference in Jerusalem with UN chief Ban Ki-Moon, who is also touring the region. “Assuming I would get a visa, I would not hesitate to participate,” he said.

Olmert also said Israel could look favourably on the Arab peace plan that he has previously spurned. Rice met Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in Jordan, where she was seeking moderate Arab support for her peace efforts, before heading back to Jerusalem for fresh talks with Olmert.