Exerpts: December 17 Press Briefing

Question: Do you have anything on the British proposal to convene a conference on Palestinian reforms in January in London with Palestinian officials? And do you have any comment on the presence of President Assad of Syria right now in London at the invitation of the British Government?

Mr. Boucher: No, I have no particular comment on that bilateral visit. As far as the announcement by Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday that they'll convene a conference on Palestinian reform in mid-January, we welcome the announcement. A conference like this would be useful in providing an opportunity to reinforce and encourage Palestinian reform efforts and builds on and strengthens the work already undertaken by the International Task Force and the Quartet. Through progress on reform, as well as performance on security, the Palestinians can help make possible implementation of the President's vision of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.

We deeply appreciate the United Kingdom's ongoing involvement in the pursuit of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the region and look forward to discussion of these issues within the upcoming Quartet meeting later this week.