Powell to Urge Israel, Palestinians to Implement Roadmap Peace Plan

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, May 11, 2003

Powell to Urge Israel, Palestinians to Implement Roadmap Peace Plan

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US Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived in Israel Saturday evening, kicking off his new round of diplomatic mediation in the region to urge Israel and the Palestinians to implement the US-sponsored roadmap peace plan.

Hours ahead of his departure for the region on Friday, Powell said that the United States wants to avoid a long period of negotiations on the roadmap, but is willing to listen to feedbacks on the plan from the two sides.

Powell is scheduled to meet Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom on Saturday night and hold news conference in Jerusalem.

He will meet Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, President Moshe Katsav and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Sunday morning.

On Sunday afternoon, Powell will depart for the West Bank town of Jericho, where he will meet with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, and Palestinian Legislative Council Speaker Ahmed Qurei.

The US secretary of state will not meet with Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Chairman Yasser Arafat. The last meeting between the two was in April, 2002, when Israel intensified military operations against Palestinians in retaliation for a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings.

"Security for gestures" would be the focus of Powell's visit, inwhich he is expected to demand the Palestinians fight terror and Israel show better gesture to the new Palestinian prime minister.

Israel would be asked to ease Palestinian humanitarian crisis, lift military closure, allow Palestinian workers to enter Israel, and dismantle illegal Jewish outposts in the West Bank.

But it is widely expected that Israel would not make big concessions without the Palestinians' fighting "terror" first.

Israel fears the United States will accept the Palestinian formula for a temporary ceasefire between the PNA and radical Palestinian groups, and then demand Israel respond with a withdrawal from the Palestinian territories.

The Israeli side insists the PNA must first take real steps to eliminate the "terror" infrastructure in the territories, before the implementation of the roadmap peace plan that aims to help the Palestinians establish an independent state by 2005.

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