Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Saturday night met in Jerusalem with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who arrived for a two-day shuttle diplomacy mission.

Rice’s visit comes a number of days ahead of the expected arrival of US President George W. Bush, who is anxious to secure a deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) prior to leaving office.

Rice and Olmert discussed final status issues, as well as final borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state. Last week, Rice called on both Israel and the PA to once and for all make the determination as to the borders for the two countries so progress can be made towards a final agreement.

On Sunday, Rice will conduct a number of other meetings, including Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen).

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)