World

More U.S. Mideast Input Promised

February 7, 2005 / 11:01 AM EST / CBS/AP

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday promised active U.S. involvement in Mideast peace-making, saying Washington would dispatch a high-level "security coordinator" to the region and send more than $40 million in immediate aid to the Palestinians.

Rice praised Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, saying he is following through on his mandate to restore calm in the Palestinian areas and that he has helped jump-start peace efforts with Israel.

"We will be very active," Rice said at a joint news conference with Abbas, capping a two-day visit to Israel and the West Bank. She urged Israelis and Palestinians to make "maximum effort" to make the best of the current chance for peace.

In other developments:

President Bush has invited Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to separate meetings in the United States. Rice relayed the invitation Monday.

Israel has made a goodwill gesture during Rice's visit, reports CBS News Correspondent Robert Berger. It reopened a key cargo crossing in the Gaza Strip. The Karni crossing was closed a few weeks ago, after Palestinian militants killed six Israeli workers there. Since then, Abbas has obtained a promise from militant groups to halt attacks against Israel.

Another thorny topic of discussion for Rice and senior Israeli officials was a nuclear Iran. Israel sees an Iranian atomic bomb as a threat to the existence of the Jewish state. Rice, however, ruled out military action. "We believe that there are diplomatic means at our disposal, at the disposal of the international community, to deal with the Iranian problem," she said. Israeli officials have hinted that if the U.S. doesn't stop the Iranian nuclear program, Israel might take military action against the Iranian nuclear facilities.

Israel's defense minister said Monday that he has received intelligence warnings that some militants, including the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah, may try to disrupt this week's Mideast summit. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz told Israel Army Radio said the information was not concrete, but that he couldn't rule out militants would try to assassinate Abbas.

Rice's meeting with Abbas ended years of strained relations between the United States and the Palestinians under the leadership of Yasser Arafat, shunned by Washington as a leader tainted by terrorism.

The Palestinians, in turn, had complained that President Bush, at least in his first term, favored Israel and was not active enough in trying to resolve the Mideast conflict.

At the start of her visit, Rice met with Israeli leaders, including Sharon.

Rice said she told the Israelis that they must refrain from taking unilateral actions that would prejudge the outcome of future peace negotiations. She singled out Jerusalem, claimed by both sides as a capital, and specifically referred to recent Israeli efforts to seize Jerusalem land owned by West Bank Palestinians. Israel's attorney has since ordered the policy stopped, and Rice said Monday she was pleased.

She said she told Israel it must live up to its obligations under the U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan. Under the road map, Israel was to have dismantled dozens of unauthorized West Bank settlement outposts and frozen settlement expansion, but has not done so.

"We did talk about the need to make sure that both obligations are carried out concerning settlements and outposts," she said of her talks with Israeli leaders.

Rice said she would appoint a "security coordinator" for the region who will "help with the consolidation of security and the rebuilding of the Palestinian security forces" — the strongest signal yet that Washington plans to become more involved.

"It really is to provide a focal point for training, equipping, helping Palestinians build their forces, and also for monitoring, and if necessary to help the parties on security matters," Rice said. "But .. we believe the best security cooperation is between the parties themselves."

Abbas indicated that he was told by Rice there would be an entire team of monitors. "Indeed, the United States promised us that there will be monitors to help prevent any friction and tension," he said.

Rice said in the next three months, the Palestinian Authority would receive more than $40 million in U.S. aid to help create jobs and rebuild the Palestinian infrastructure. The money is part of some $350 million in additional aid to the Palestinians, promised by Mr. Bush last week.