Albright to visit Middle East, try to speed peace process

Madeleine Albright, the US Secretary of the Sate, will visit the Middle East at the end of August to try to speed up work on the final status talks for Israeli-Palestinian peace.

"I will consult closely with the leaders of the region and especially with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to improve the climate for negotiations," Albright said in a speech to the National Press Club in Washington.

Albright stressed that the United States would not become a party to the talks but would be there at the table to nudge the parties along.

She said, "Only the parties can make decisions, but we will support them."

She added, "If the parties have a clear mutual and favorable sense of the ultimate direction of negotiations, it will be easier for them to overcome setbacks and avoid distractions along the way."

Albright has been in touch with the leaders of the region by telephone and during their meeting in Washington, but has resisted traveling to the Middle East herself until she felt sure concrete progress could be made.