Mobile UPI  |   About UPI  |   UPI en Español  |   UPI Arabic  |   UPIU  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Clinton in Egypt for talks

|
|
 
  
President Barack Obama shakes hands with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton upon the conclusion of his addresses to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the Capitol in Washington on February 24, 2009. (UPI Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Pool) 
Published: March. 1, 2009 at 7:57 PM

CAIRO, March 1 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in Egypt Sunday to begin talks on efforts to rebuild Gaza and find a way to peace in the Middle East.

In her first visit to the region since becoming the United States' top diplomat, Clinton came bearing the prospect of $900 million in aid, provided Palestinians renounce violence, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Clinton is expected to push President Barack Obama's commitment to finding a "two-state solution" that establishes a sovereign Palestinian state at peace with Israel.

"We want to strengthen a Palestinian partner willing to accept the conditions outlined by the Quartet and the Arab summit; in other words, a renouncement of violence, a recognition of Israel, and a commitment to abide by the previous agreements entered in by the Palestinian Authority," Clinton said.

Clinton will confer with other regional and world leaders in Sharm el-Sheik before visiting Jerusalem and the West Bank Tuesday. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, French President Nicholas Sarkozy and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a special envoy to the region, also are expected to take part.

"I wanted to come to hear for myself first-hand from people in Gaza, whose lives have been so badly impacted by the recent conflict," Blair said at a school in Beit Hanun. "These are the people who need to be the focus of all our efforts for peace and progress from now on."

The cease-fire between Hamas militants in Gaza and Israel has been tenuous at best since the Israelis pulled back from a three-week incursion this year.

Five Palestinian smugglers were killed Sunday when a tunnel they were in collapsed because of heavy rain, the Telegraph reported.

Recommended Stories
© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
  
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
The Tibetan Moniam Festival in China Super Bowl XLVI ticker tape victory parade The making of the Oscars
The Chicago Auto Show The Most Desirable Women of 2012 Tu Bishvat Migron settlement
Additional Top News Stories
1 of 25
Meryl Streep and Colin Firth attend the "BAFTA" ceremony in London
View Caption
fark
Remember back in the day when you had to walk to school, barefoot, uphill both ways, in the snow?...
Time to load up on beer, milk, bread and beer, north Atlanta is in for massive blizzard with up...
Bill would force teachers to comply with FCC regulations. in related news, Miss Lipshiatz is about...
When you yell "bingo," you better be damn sure you have bingo. Cause if you don't, we will find...
Trading crack for a lapdance, yelling racial slurs, assaulting police, spitting blood, and beating...
History will remember George H.W. Bush for his part in the first Gulf War, the fall of the Berlin...