U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will begin laying the ground for a Mideast peace conference in a visit to Israel on Wednesday, hoping to push Israelis and Palestinians closer to renewing talks.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have arrived in Egypt with promises of weapons for allies in the Middle East, saying it would help counter Al-Qaeda, Hizballah, Syria, and Iran.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has announced a proposed $13 billion military aid deal with Egypt and a $30 billion military package for Israel.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates today start a key Middle East mission to seek Arab support for the Iraqi government and also discuss weapons sales to regional allies. They will make rare joint visits to Egypt and Saudi Arabia before going on separate trips to other parts of the region.

Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic was in Washington Friday where he met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other high-level U.S. officials, mainly to discuss the contentious issue of independence for the disputed Serbian province of Kosovo.

The United States and India have concluded negotiations on a long-delayed landmark civilian nuclear agreement. In a statement, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called the deal "a historic milestone" in the strategic partnership with India.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says Washington is fully committed to achieving independence for Serbia's breakaway Kosovo province, despite Russia's opposition.

Condoleezza Rice, The U.S. Secretary of State says the Iraqi government has not made as much progress as U.S. officials would like, but has urged congressional critics to give the Bush administration's Iraq strategy more time.

A Pristina delegation has accepted U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's invitation to visit Washington July 23 to consider holding parliamentary elections in the Serbian province of Kosovo, a senior State Department official said Thursday.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy hopes that the U.S. will take the leading role in fighting global warming and urged unity at the U.N. over Iran's nuclear program in talks with Condoleezza Rice Monday.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice flies to Paris early next week for meetings with top French officials and Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora. Middle East issues and Sudan will be on the agenda for the three-day Rice visit to the French capital, beginning Sunday.

The Bush administration has reaffirmed its determination to clamp down on Kurdish rebels who utilize Iraq's northern regions as a base for launching attacks against neighboring Turkey.