WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was meeting with several principals in advance of Wednesday's Middle East peace negotiations, an aide said Tuesday.
"Secretary Clinton has begun the first of several bilateral meetings, preparatory meetings in -- you know, as we relaunch direct negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians," department spokesman Philip Crowley said. "As we stand here, she is meeting with (Palestinian) President Mahmoud Abbas. Later on this afternoon, she'll have meetings with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh and Egyptian Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit, and then later this evening, she'll meet with Quartet representative Tony Blair and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu".
The Quartet consists of United Nations, the United States, the European Union, and Russia. UPI