In Egypt, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice continued a Mideast tour ahead of planned Israeli-Palestinian peace conference set for next month. Speaking in Cairo, Rice repeatedly avoided journalists’ questions on why the Bush administration is not opposing Israel’s ongoing settlement expansion on the West Bank. Instead, Rice said she was focusing efforts on reforming Palestinian security forces.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice: “Without security that will make it possible for Palestinians to deliver for their own people and also to fight terrorism, without efforts to — enhanced efforts to do everything that we can to prevent the tunnels from being used for support for terrorism, we’re going to have a very difficult time.”