U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced after a two-hour conference with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas that the three agreed to meet again.



Rice met with the media alone after the talks, delivering a brief statement without taking questions and leaving the room immediately thereafter.



All three..agreed that a Palestinian state cannot be born of violence and terror.



“All three of us affirmed our commitment to a two-state solution and agreed that a Palestinian state cannot be born of violence and terror,” she said, adding that Olmert and Abbas "reiterated their acceptance of previous agreements and obligations," including their commitment to the American-authored Roadmap Plan.



The so-called summit began at 10:00 a.m. at the David’s Citadel Hotel and was followed by a working lunch, where the three leaders were joined by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Vice Premier Shimon Peres and Defense Minister Amir Peretz.

PA sources said three issues were set for the agenda: the transfer of tax monies collected by Israel on behalf of the PA to its government’s ministers, implementation of the crossing agreement signed in November 2005 and a general discussion of future negotiations.



It was not clear whether an agreement was reached on any of the items.



“The President and Prime Minister agreed that they would meet together again soon,” Rice said in her statement.



“They reiterated their desire for American participation and leadership to overcome obstacles, rally regional and international support and move forward toward peace. In that vein, I expect to return to the region soon,” she said.