Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke by telephone late Thursday about the upcoming the Middle East peace conference.

The two senior figures mulled over the issue and expressed the desire to have talks during the international meeting set for Nov.26-27 in Annapolis, Maryland, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a press release.

They also exchanged views on other regional issues of common concern, it said.

Earlier in the day, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a regular press conference that Yang has been invited by Rice to attend the meeting and that China will work with parties concerned to discuss how to promote the Middle East peace process.

The spokesman said the meeting has drawn international attention and that all participants, including China, have pinned great expectations on the meeting.

(Xinhua News Agency November 23, 2007)