Interview With Ayala Hasson, Channel 1

QUESTION: But it will include the essential issues?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, I think it has to address the -- all of the issues that are going to have to lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

QUESTION: Where are the main obstacles at this point?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, we’ve had more than -- well, decades and decades of trying to resolve this issue. And, of course, the last six or so years there have been really no discussions between the parties of the actual road to develop a Palestinian state, to establish a Palestinian state. And so it's overcoming areas of distrust. It's building confidence. And, frankly, some of the issues are just hard. They raise very key, essential issues for both sides. And so it is not surprising that it takes some time.

QUESTION: Does the Bush administration feel obligated to the roadmap?

SECRETARY RICE: Oh, we are very much obligated to the roadmap. In fact, the roadmap is a kind of reliable guide of how you establish a two-state solution. And the roadmap has very important phase I requirements, obligations --

QUESTION: On both sides.

SECRETARY RICE: -- on both sides that we think ought to be fulfilled and they should be fulfilling them now. And they would help, by the way, to build confidence as we move toward the establishment of a Palestinian state. But most certainly, before one could imagine an actual two-state solution, you would have to have implementation of these phase I obligations.

QUESTION: Talking about two-state solution, does the fact that Hamas controls Gaza, are we still talking about two-state solution or maybe we are talking about a three-state solution?

SECRETARY RICE: Oh, it will have to be a two-state solution. And eventually, there will be a circumstance in which Hamas and others who don't want a two-state solution will be outside of the consensus of the international community, of the parties themselves, of the regional states. And the goal here is to show the Palestinian people a concrete manifestation of statehood, that indeed there will be a state, that it will be viable, that it will have contiguity, that it will be able to operate. And to show Israelis that it will be a state that will fight terror, that will be -- help security, not undermine security in the region. I believe that when that vision is concrete, the Palestinian people will opt for that vision. And Hamas will have to either decide to stand aside or continue to be rejectionist.

QUESTION: And if not? There is the West Bank, there is Gaza.

SECRETARY RICE: No, no, no. Because when there -- there has to ultimately be unity for the Palestinians. And I believe that the concrete manifestation of their state will encourage that unity.

QUESTION: Can you share with us when the United States intends to issue invitation to the Annapolis summit?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, we are not quite ready to start inviting people yet. We need to let this process move forward a little bit more, particularly between the parties. It's extremely important. They've established far more confidence in each other than frankly I thought they would have, by this time, given how difficult circumstances were just several months ago when there was a unity government about which Israel was quite suspicious, given it was a unity government that had not accepted the roadmap conditions. And so now they've moved forward.

I really believe it's important to let them continue to work for a while. And then we'll invite in plenty of time for people to get there, I assure you.

QUESTION: Do we know which countries are going to be invited? Why there is so much secrecy surrounding this issue?

SECRETARY RICE: It's not a matter of secrecy. It's a matter of getting to a point where people know what this meeting is really going to be. When people know what the basis will be on which the parties will be working. It's only fair that before we issue invitations and before people are asked to accept them, that we have a little greater clarity on how we are moving this forward.

QUESTION: Okay, Syria is going to be invited? Because President Assad has stated that he will only attend if the Israeli-Syrian conflict is on the table.

SECRETARY RICE: This is a meeting about the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

QUESTION: Okay.

SECRETARY RICE: Now, the United States understands fully that ultimately there must be a comprehensive peace in the Middle East. This is in the basis of the roadmap. It's in the basis of all the resolutions. It's in the basis of the Arab peace initiative that there must be a comprehensive solution. And obviously, that means a solution to Israel's problems with Syria as well.

But this meeting focuses on a track -- the track that is most mature at this time, which is the Israeli-Palestinian one. We are inviting the members of the Arab League Follow-up Committee, and Syria is, of course, a member of the Arab League Follow-up Committee. It's of course, up to Syria whether it wishes to engage in this meeting. But the meeting is about the Israelis and Palestinians although, obviously, we need to have a comprehensive peace.

QUESTION: Okay, talking about Syria, according to the American media, there were a few disagreements between you and Vice President Cheney if Israel should attack the nuclear reactor in Syria.

SECRETARY RICE: I'm not going to comment on press reports about -- first of all, about alleged activities of other countries. But I can tell you that the number of times that I've read there's been a disagreement between me and the Vice President or between the Vice President and the Secretary of Defense or between the three of us, let me just say, don't believe everything you read in the newspapers. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: You have met several Israeli ministers. Is America therefore is involved in internal Israeli politics?

SECRETARY RICE: I talked to the Prime Minister about the need to meet with a variety of people and voices, both inside the government and out. I am going to meet with some representatives of Israeli civil society tomorrow night. And so I do think it's important that people hear directly what the United States is trying to do, what I'm trying to do, how we intend to help move this process forward.

I can always talk about the very strong relationship that the United States and Israel have. But there is a strong relationship that this President, President Bush, has had first with Prime Minister Sharon and now with Prime Minister Olmert.

Perhaps I can be a voice of assurance that the United States has a way of viewing our good friend and ally, Israel that will always be cognizant of and will always be responsive to the interests of Israel. Because we want for both Israelis and Palestinians a world that is safer and more secure, and the two-state solution can lead to that. But I know that there are a lot of concerns as we move forward about how that will be achieved, about the role that the United States will play. And if I can talk to people directly and answer their questions directly, I think that's a good thing.

QUESTION: Are you aware of the fact that yesterday, while you were sitting with the Prime Minister, he got from his aides a note that the Attorney General has decided to open a police investigation against him? Did he share with you this --

SECRETARY RICE: This is a matter for internal issues in Israel and I'm not going to comment. It's something that -- it shows to me that there is a certain strength to the Israeli system, but I'm not going to comment.

QUESTION: Thank you very much, Madame Secretary, for granting us this interview.

SECRETARY RICE: Thank you very much. Thank you.

2007/T17-11