BEIJING, Oct. 5 -- The US Secretary of State is in the Middle East in a fresh bid to revive stalled peace efforts. Condoleezza Rice says Washington is very concerned about the plight of the Palestinians. Standing alongside the President Mahmoud Abbas, she promised to help improve living conditions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Wei Sue Loke has the story.

    Ahead of his meeting with Rice, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that talks with Hamas over forming a coalition government had broken down. Violence between factions have since claimed more than a dozen lives. But the Palestinian leader received a boost from Rice, who promised the US would step up efforts to aid the Palestinians.

    CONDOLEEZZA RICE--US SECRETARY OF STATE

    "I told the President that we are very concerned about the humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian territories, about the economic situation. It is a great sadness during this time of course of Ramadan that Palestinians, many of them are deprived of basic needs and I said to him that we would re-double our efforts to improve the conditions of the Palestinian people."

    Speaking alongside of Rice, Abbas said any new Palestinian government must honor all agreements signed with Israel.

    MAHMOUD ABBAS--PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT

    "Any government should be committed to the Palestinian and Arab legitimacy, as well as to all signed agreements, by the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority."

    Meanwhile in Gaza City, the Palestinian Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyeh, accused the US of trying to rearrange the region to suit its own and Israeli needs. He said the ruling Palestinian party, Hamas, considers dialogue the only way to solve disagreements with President Abbas. He also added that Hamas is willing to do everything possible to stop the violence.

    After meeting with Abbas, Rice headed back to Jerusalem for dinner with Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert.

    Rice arrived in Israel and the Palestinian territories, after a meeting on Tuesday in Cairo with the foreign ministers of six Gulf Cooperation Council member states plus Egypt and Jordan. And she is scheduled to meet Israel's Foreign and Defense Ministers on Thursday. Enditem

    (Source: CCTV.com)