US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice opened talks Saturday with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit in the Egyptian city of Aswan ahead of a scheduled Arab summit on March 28, reported Deutsche Presse Agentur dpa. Abul-Gheit said earlier in press statements that the talks between some Arab foreign ministers and Rice later would primarily focus on the peace process between the Palestinians and Israel. Referring to differences between the Fatah and Hamas, he said all the Palestinian factions "should work towards national unity and talk to the international community through one voice." The goal of the Arab ministers' meeting with Rice, he said, was to know about US intentions. Rice is due in Amman Monday for further talks with Jordan's King Abdullah and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Her meeting with Abbas, scheduled for Tuesday, will be their first encounter since the formation of the Palestinian national unity government earlier this month.
