WASHINGTON (AP) —
The Bush administration is racing in its final moments to negotiate a last-minute deal with Israel that might allow the Jewish state to agree to a cease-fire with the militant Hamas movement and end its military operation in Gaza.On the administration's second-to-last work day before President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration, the two sides were crafting an agreement on American support for Egyptian-led truce mediation efforts under which the U.S. would provide technical support and expertise to prevent Hamas from rearming, said U.S. and Israeli officials.
"We are discussing with the Israelis and others what we can do to bolster the possibilities of getting to the durable cease-fire that we are all seeking," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters. "There are several elements to that and we are working with regional partners and also with the Israelis."
"We are aggressively working for that cease-fire and we are trying to help put the pieces in place so that it can be durable," she said.
It was not immediately clear if members of Obama's or Secretary of State-designate Hillary Rodham Clinton's transition teams were being advised of the talks, which could lead to a prominent and ongoing U.S. role in the truce.
A senior official from the Israeli foreign ministry was meeting Thursday with the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East at the State Department in a bid to secure the memorandum of understanding that would also guarantee international monitors along Egypt's border with Gaza, which is riddled with tunnels used to smuggle weapons to Hamas, diplomats said.
If the two officials — acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman and Director General of Israeli foreign ministry Aaron Abramovich — can agree to language of the document, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni may make a quick trip to Washington to sign it with Rice, the diplomats said.
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