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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, October 25, 2002

Israel Says it Principally Agree with US Peace Plan

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has given his seal of approval "in principle," to the latest American "road map" peace plan presented by US envoy William Burns,Israel Army Radio reported.


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Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has given his seal of approval "in principle," to the latest American "road map" peace plan presented by US envoy William Burns, Israel Army Radio reported.

Sharon and Burns, who is also US Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs, met Thursday evening in Jerusalem as part of Burns' visit to the region.

Burns' visit is aimed at collecting Israeli and Palestinian comments on the road map plan before it is approved by the Quartet Committee of the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia in December.

The radio quoted sources in the Prime Minister's office as saying that the principles set out in the road map plan had mostly been accepted by Israel, but added that several elements in the plan, particularly matters related to security, need to be changed.

An earlier report said that the Israeli government welcomes the diplomatic plan US President George W. Bush presented in his June speech, but has serious reservations about the "road map" drawn up to accompany it.

Burns has met with a number of Israeli and Palestinian officials during his stay in the region, including Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Defense Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer, as well as several Palestinian National Authority (PNA) ministers.

However, the US official has no plan to meet with PNA Chairman Yasser Arafat during his visit.

The six-page road map peace plan, worked out by the Quartet calls for comprehensive political and security reforms in the PNA and a Palestinian state with temporary borders by the end of 2003, and a final status agreement by the end of 2005.

The plan also requires the Palestinians to name a prime minister, reorganize their security forces into a single entity, and reinstate security coordination and cooperation with Israel.

At the same time, the plan calls for Israel to withdraw to lines before Sept. 29, 2000 when the indifada, or Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation started, to dismantle illegal outposts, and to cease military operations in Palestinian areas.

Meanwhile, a meeting between Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and PNA minister Saeb Erekat drew to a close in Tel Aviv Thursday morning. The two sides discussed a further easing of the sanctions on the Palestinians.


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