US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is returning to the Middle East to move ahead preparations for an international conference on Palestinian statehood. Ms Rice will meet Palestinian and Israeli leaders to agree a framework for the summit, which is expected to take place in the US in late November, according to a report of BBC. During her visit last month, she urged both sides to draft a document laying the basis for serious negotiations. Ms Rice is fresh from difficult talks in Russia on missile defense. She arrives in the Middle East on Sunday to hold discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem, before traveling to the West Bank to see Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Her five-day tour will also involve meetings in Egypt and Jordan.
