(New York Times) Joel Brinkley - Secretary of State Rice on Tuesday began a four-day visit to the Middle East, where she hoped to persuade Arab leaders to cut off financial aid to Hamas. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Egypt's foreign minister, told her that Egypt believed funds to the Palestinian government should continue, though Egypt gives little money to the Palestinians. Another of Rice's major goals for this trip - to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates - is to lock down commitments from the Arab leaders to stand firm against Iran's nuclear program. But once again, Egypt disappointed her.
2006-02-22 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive