Secretary Rice to Travel to Europe

Secretary Rice will travel to Paris December 16-17 for an international donors' conference supporting Palestinian reform and institution building. While in Paris, she will meet with other members of the Quartet, including United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, High Representative for European Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado, European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner, as well as Quartet Representative Tony Blair. The Secretary will also meet with Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Stoere, who is serving as Chair of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC). Secretary Rice will also meet with French leaders to discuss our common efforts to address the full range of global challenges.

This conference is an opportunity for the international community to pledge tangible and generous assistance to the economic development of Palestinian society and to provide maximal resources for the Palestinian Authority's program of institution building in preparation for statehood.

2007/1124