Press Statement With Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad

SECRETARY RICE: I would like to thank Prime Minister Salam Fayyad of the Palestinian Authority and Defense Minister Ehud Barak of Israel for this opportunity to meet in this trilateral format. We just had a very good meeting. We were discussing the situation on the ground and the importance of improvement to that situation along the lines of one of the Annapolis tracks. I am pleased to say that the two gentlemen have met before up here, and they said that they will continue to meet as is necessary, because we all want to work hard for the improvements that can lead to a successful conclusion of the Annapolis Process.

Thank you very much.

2008/T11-3