Rice meets Abbas in search of conference accord

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice assured Palestinians yesterday that Washington intended a Middle East peace conference to put them firmly on the road towards statehood but gave no specifics.

Ms Rice also gave no sign, after talks in the occupied West Bank with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and in Israel, that any progress had been made in forging a common position that would be presented to the international gathering.

She provided no details on who might attend the conference or whether the Israelis and the Palestinians would be able to draw up a document in time for the meeting, expected to take place in mid-November in the United States.

"What kind of document comes out of these discussions is something they will have to work out," said Ms Rice, adding that she hoped it would lead to "serious negotiations for the establishment of a Palestinian state as soon as possible".