Talks between U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the Israeli and Palestinian leaders ended Monday with little sign of reviving peace negotiations but for a promise to meet again.
Rice spoke after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for more than two hours.
"The president and prime minister agreed that they would meet together again soon. They reiterated their desire for American participation and leadership to overcome obstacles, rally regional and international support and move forward toward peace. In that vein, I expect to return to the region soon," Rice said.
Rice, who delivered the brief statement in the ballroom of a Jerusalem hotel, gave no date on when she expected to return.
"All three of us affirmed our commitment to a two-state solution, agreed that a Palestinian state cannot be born of violence and terror and reiterated our acceptance of previous commitments and obligations including the road map," said Rice, whose two partners in the talks were not present at the news conference.
But Rice reported no tangible progress in restarting talks, which broke down more than six years ago.
The long-stalled road map is an internationally backed peace plan calling for an independent state alongside Israel.
It never got off the ground because neither side met its initial obligations: The Palestinians were to disassemble armed groups and Israel was to eradicate West Bank settlement outposts.
"Expectations were extremely low heading into this summit," CTV's Middle East Bureau Chief Janis Mackey Frayer reported Monday.
"It had once been touted to revive peace talks, instead it turned into an awkward and very informal discussion between the leaders that focused mainly on the Palestinian unity deal."
The talks were overshadowed by Abbas' agreement to form a Palestinian unity government with the Hamas militant group, Mackey Frayer said.
The power-sharing deal between the moderate Abbas' Fatah movement and Islamic Hamas militants who control the Palestinian parliament fell short of international demands.
Israel, the U.S. and other Western countries have demanded the new government must renounce violence, recognize Israel's right to exist and accept past peace deals before they lift their economic boycotts.
Hamas has agreed only to "respect" past peace agreements.
On Sunday night, Rice acknowledged that the outlines didn't meet the international conditions put forth by the Quartet of Mideast negotiators -- the U.S., European Union, UN and Russia.
"If there's going to be a Palestinian state, then the Quartet principles would obviously have to be recognized because ... this is the foundation for peace," she said.
"I haven't seen anything to date that suggests that this is a government that's going to meet the Quartet's principles, but you know ... we will see once the government is formed," she said.
Abbas has portrayed the coalition accord as an achievement that ended weeks of internal fighting between the Hamas and Fatah factions.
He has also emphasized that he would be handling any negotiations with Israel -- not the unity government.
Olmert, who met separately with Rice on Sunday, said Israel would not deal with a government that doesn't recognize the Quartet principles.
But on Monday, his spokeswoman, Miri Eisin, repeated the prime minister's position that Israel would continue to deal with Abbas directly.
Eisin said the meeting was significant because Olmert and Abbas, who rarely speak face to face, were "sitting and having dialogue."
With files from The Associated Press
