Rice: Talks yield 'reasons for optimism'

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- The meeting between Israeli and Palestinian leaders provides "reasons for optimism," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday.

Rice discussed the Annapolis, Md., meeting of 40-plus leaders from the Middle Easter with the goals of restarting peace talks and establishing a Palestinian state.

"I think that the reasons for optimism ... were very much in display (Tuesday), when you saw (Israeli) Prime Minister (Ehud) Olmert and (Palestinian) President (Mahmoud) Abbas ... acknowledge the suffering of their respective peoples (and) the need to move ahead," Rice said on ABC's "Good Morning America."

On NBC's "The Today Show," Rice said U.S. President George Bush was discussing the need for a Palestinian state and a two-state solution since taking office.

"And over this period of time ... people have come to that place where you do have democratic leaders in the Palestinian territories untainted by terrorism, where you do have Israelis united behind the vision now of a two-state solution," she said.

The next steps will be difficult, Rice said on CBS' "Early Morning, "but I do believe that the great majority of the Israeli people and the great majority of the Palestinian people simply want to live in peace."