Hillarysworld

Yes, Chelsea's wedding is in a few days, but you didn't think our Madame Secretary would actually stop working, did you?

http://www.politico.com/blogs/laurarozen/0710/Clinton_burning_up_phone_lines_to_Middle_East_.html

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been “burning up the phone lines” the past five days to try and lay the groundwork for a transition from indirect to direct Israel-Palestinian peace talks, aides say.

Clinton’s phone calls with Arab and Israeli leaders come in advance of a meeting Thursday of Arab foreign ministers to decide if they will give their blessing to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for direct talks with the Israelis, rather than U.S.-mediated proximity talks.

U.S. officials are reluctant to raise expectations. A State Dempartment official said Wednesday that there have been no breakthroughs and Clinton is not pushing a timetable.

“We have a full-court press underway to see if we can move to direct negotiations,” State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said. “We’re hopeful that the parties will reach this point, but I can’t pinpoint a particular day on the calendar.”

In the last five days, Clinton has spoken “multiple times” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, twice with the Jordanian and Egyptian foreign ministers, as well as with the Saudi foreign minister, Qatari prime minister, Middle East Quartet envoy Tony Blair, EU foreign policy chief Baroness Catherine Ashton, and with Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell and the National Security Council throughout, the official said.

She also met privately Monday with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who also met Tuesday with Defense Secretary Robert Gates.