Rice in Middle East for fresh peace push

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice embarked on a fresh effort to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks yesterday but said she would not present any concrete new initiative.

Her trip to the region comes as the United States seeks to boost Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his showdown with the ruling Hamas Islamists. Washington plans to pour $86 million into helping train and equip Abbas's presidential guard.

"I'm not coming with a proposal. I'm not coming with a plan," Rice told reporters on her way to Israel, according to a State Department transcript of her remarks.

US officials have sought to play down expectations for the trip, Rice's eighth to the region during her two years as secretary of state, and have suggested she is testing the waters to see what might be possible.

Rice was meeting Israel's defence and foreign ministers yesterday evening and will see the moderate Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah today. She will meet Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert tomorrow.

She will also seek Arab help to stabilise Iraq during a Middle East trip that will include stops in Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as well as Germany and Britain.

On Wednesday, President George W. Bush said he would send 21,500 extra troops to Iraq despite fierce opposition from the new Democratic-led Congress.