A tough-talking US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made clear today that the US was going full out to achieve a Palestinian-Israeli peace deal.
Ms Rice said the time had come for establishing a Palestinian state and it was in America's interests to do so.
Her comments, after meeting Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, suggested that the Bush administration is determined to try to bridge the wide gaps between two sides ahead of a US-based conference.
The gathering is expected next month, although no official date has yet been announced.
Moderate Arab countries, whose participation is widely viewed as critical, have not committed to attending.
Ms Rice said: "Frankly, it's time for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
"I wanted to say in my own voice to be able to say to as many people as possible that the United States sees the establishment of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution as absolutely essential for the future, not just of Palestinians and Israelis but also for the Middle East and indeed to American interests," she said.
"That's really a message that I think only I can deliver."
The two sides are trying to work out an outline for a final peace deal ahead of the conference in Annapolis, Maryland.
Tensions grew yesterday when Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert told his cabinet that the outline was not necessary for the conference to go ahead.
The Palestinians replied that without one they would snub the meeting.
Israel has been pushing for a vaguely worded document while the Palestinians want a detailed outline, complete with a timetable for establishing a Palestinian state.
The US has said it wants a substantive working paper dealing with all the key disputes before the start of the conference. The issues include borders, Jerusalem, Israeli settlements and Palestinian refugees.
Mr Olmert and Mr Abbas have held a series of meetings in recent months, and the two sides have appointed negotiating teams to hammer out their joint vision for peace in time for the gathering.
Ms Rice said: "I have said we need to at this particular point in time be certain to avoid any steps that would undermine confidence because the building of confidence is something that takes time."
She is on a four-day shuttle mission, trying to create common ground ahead of the meeting.
AP