U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice began her tour of the Middle East yesterday with a stop in Saudi Arabia.

She told reporters accompanying her on the flight that she plans to discuss with King Abdullah ways of assisting Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

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Rice will meet with her Saudi counterpart prince Saud al-Faisal this morning, and will then depart for Egypt for a meeting with President Hosni Mubarak and Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit.

In Egypt the American secretary of state will also meet with foreign ministers of eight Arab states, as part of an effort to bolster moderate Arab states in the region.

The purpose of the meeting is to seek ways of furthering the peace process in the region. It is expected that at the end of the mini-conference, the participants will issue a call for the renewal of the peace process between Israel and its neighbors along the lines of a Saudi Arabian initiative that promises Israel peace in return for its pullback to the 1967 lines.

Tomorrow, Rice will meet with Tanzim leaders in East Jerusalem, and then travel to Ramallah for an afternoon meeting with Abbas.

At the U.S. Consulate in East Jerusalem, Rice will meet with Hussein al-Sheikh and Kadura Fares. Also invited to the meeting will be members of the Palestinian parliament, Hanan Ashrawi and Mustafa Barghouti.

Following her meeting with Abbas, Rice will meet with Yasser Abed Rabbo, member of the PLO Executive Committee, and Fatah legislator Mohammed Dahlan, former security chief in Gaza.