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Source: http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/102109.html
Rice: Talk to Palestinians Before Syria
[JTA] During her flight to Berlin Tuesday ahead of the G-8 major industrial nations summit, a reporter asked U.S. Secretary of State Rice what she thought of reports that Israel's leadership might deemphasize the Israeli-Palestinian track to focus on peace overtures from Syria. "No one is opposed to Israel pursuing other tracks, including a Syria track. But my understanding is that it's the view of the Israelis and certainly our view that the Syrians are engaged in behavior right now that is destabilizing to the region," she said. "But it's not a view that there shouldn't be such a track. When it's ready, it should be." "Everybody agrees that the Israeli-Palestinian track is extremely important for a number of reasons, but also unlocks the key to the use of the Arab initiatives and further engagement between the Arabs and the Israelis," she said.