Washington, August 23, SPA -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is traveling to the Middle East this weekend for talks on the peace process with senior officials, the State Department announced Friday. Rice “will travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories on August 24,” spokesman Sean McCormack said, adding that her talks would include senior Israeli and Palestinian officials and would cover “ongoing efforts to create positive and lasting peace in the region and progress towards the shared goal of a peace agreement in 2008.” Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told AFP earlier this week that Rice will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, then hold three-way talks with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and senior Palestinian diplomat Ahmed Qurei. Rice was last in Israel in mid-June, when she strongly criticized the expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying it was not helpful to the peace process. She has visited the region 17 times in the past two years.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/584183