STATEMENTS BY U.S. OFFICIALS

Secretary Rice's Travel to Turkey and the Middle East

The Secretary will arrive in Ankara, Turkey on November 1 to pursue bilateral meetings with President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. She then will travel to Istanbul, Turkey to attend a ministerial level international meeting on Iraq November 2-3.

Secretary Rice will visit Jerusalem and Ramallah November 4-6 to continue her discussions with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to support their ongoing bilateral dialogue and the serious effort underway to draft a joint document that could lay the foundation for negotiations. The Secretary will follow up on her recent discussions with the parties on the need for progress on phase one commitments under the Roadmap both to improve conditions on the ground and to build confidence between the parties. She will deliver remarks at the Saban Forum on November 4.