RICE MEETS WITH MEMBER OF HAMAS GOVT.

Rice Meets Palestinian Unity Government Official - Glenn Kessler
Secretary of State Rice met Tuesday at the State Department with Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad, her first encounter with an official in the unity government shunned by Israel. A senior State Department official said that Rice personally likes Fayyad and that she arranged for the meeting in part to "sharpen the distinctions" between those members of the Palestinian government who support peace with Israel and those who back Hamas. (Washington Post)