Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with the new Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas today in Ramallah. And she’s ready to pay the price for Mideast peace, pledging $40 million to the Palestinian Authority. “We will work with our friends in the international community and here in the region to revive the Palestinian economy,” Rice said. She also appointed General William Ward as security coordinator to the Palestinian Authority. “We will help with the consolidation of security and the rebuilding of the Palestinian security forces,” Rice said. She praised Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas for his efforts to end four years of violence, and urged both sides to seize a new opportunity for peace. She said Abbas and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will visit the White House this spring.