Palestinian Official: Rice to Meet Abbas Thursday; Olmert Has No Plans to Meet

Palestinian officials have reported that Secretary Rice will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a visit to the West Bank on Thursday. "They will meet in Jericho," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told Reuters on Tuesday.

The State Department said earlier this week that Rice, who is to attend an economic and development conference at a Dead Sea resort in Jordan, could also meet Palestinian and Israeli leaders amid efforts to build on a Gaza ceasefire. However, a spokeswoman for Israeli PM Ehud Olmert said there were no plans for him to meet Rice.