Former secretary of state to visit Israel next month together with Motorola executives; scheduled meetings with Peres, Barak and Lieberman

Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to visit Israel soon, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Tuesday.

Rice currently heads a private consulting firm that work with Motorola. She is expected to arrive in Israel for a two-day visit next month together with senior Motorola executives as well as former National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley.

Rice has asked to schedule meetings with various Israeli senior officials including President Shimon Peres, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Deputy FM Daniel Ayalon and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, whom she knows well from their work together.

The former secretary of state has also asked to meet former Kadima chairwoman Tzipi Livni and may also possibly meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former PM Ehud Olmert. Rice has recently published a memoir where she reveals details from negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians during her stint in Washington. In the book, she praises Olmert for his way of handling the talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Rice has recently been mentioned as someone who may play a major role in the presidential campaign of the elected Republican candidate. She has thus far denied rumors suggesting she may be returning to politics and currently focuses on her work in the academia and business world. (Copyright 2012 © Yedioth Internet 04/10/12)