1st LD: U.S. Secretary of State arrives to promote Israeli-PNA peace talks

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Israel Saturday evening to promote the stalled negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority.

Rice is expected to express her dissatisfaction with the current peace talks during her meeting with top Israeli political and security officials, according to local media.

On Sunday morning, Rice is scheduled to participate in a three- way meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad after meeting with a number of senior Israeli officials and holding talks with Fayyad.

Late on Sunday, Rice is scheduled to visit the West Bank city Ramallah for a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas before heading back to Israel for a closed meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. The two will also hold a joint press conference.

In the evening, Rice is scheduled to hold another three-way meeting with Livni and chief Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qurei to discuss the disagreements between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on the core issues, including Jerusalem, the refugees and the permanent borders of a future Palestinian state.