'Road Map' Plan Takes Steps Forward: Commentary

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, May 28, 2003

'Road Map' Plan Takes Steps Forward: Commentary

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After repeated consultations and intense debate, the Israeli cabinet on May 25 formally expressed its reserved acceptance of the Palestine-Israel peace "Road Map" plan, thus bringing about a favorable turn to the world-concerned Palestine-Israel peace talks and the Middle East peace process, as well as hope for further promoting Palestine-Israel peace talks, Israel-Syria and Israel-Lebanon negotiations.

The international community speaks highly of Israel's formal acceptance of the "Road Map", Palestine and other Arab countries have also expressed cautious welcome to the change in Israel's attitude.

The successive formal acceptance of the "Road Map" plan by Palestine and Israel implies that the "Road Map" plan which determines the fate of Middle East peace has been finally decided in principle between Palestine and Israel after nearly one year of frustration.

The Palestine-Israel peace "Road Map" plan was a proposal put forward last year at the quartet conference of the United Nations, the United States, the European Union (EU) and Russia, drawing up a major phased framework for the long-delayed Palestine-Israel peace process and setting up the prospect for Palestine-Israel peace in the order of "taking up easy matters first and then difficult ones".

This plan was formally published and submitted to the two sides of Palestine and Israel on April 30. Under the plan, a provisional Palestinian state will be established in the latter half of 2003, the founding of a Palestine State will be realized by 2005, and the Palestine-Israel boundary will finally be demarcated; then, both sides will negotiate how to solve the most thorny problems, such as the return of Palestinian refugees, compensations, the legal status of East Jerusalem and the Jew's settlements in the Palestine-controlled areas, as well as the passage between Gaza and the banks of the Jordan River and security on the Palestine-Jordan and Palestine-Egypt boundaries.

On the other hand, the "Road Map" requires the Palestinian side to institute political and judicial reforms and stop the activities of violent attacks, it also calls for a halt to Israel's expansion of the Jew's settlements. As a whole, the "Road Map" is a peace proposal that helps the Middle East peace process to shake off predicament and to achieve results at an early date.

After the release of the "Road Map" plan, the Palestinian side first expressed its acceptance of the plan and, on the basis of establishing a Prime Minister responsibility system, continues to deepen the administrative and judicial reforms of the Palestinian organs of power.

The Prime Ministers of Palestine and Israel met for the first time on May 17 to discuss matters related to implementation of the "Road Map" plan. The Palestinian side demanded that Israel relieve Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat of house arrest, stop implementation of the "policy of fixed-point purge of Palestinian personnel and demolition of the Jew's settlements in Palestine-controlled areas and pull troops out of Palestine-controlled areas of Gaza and the west bank of the Jordan River.

The Israeli side called on the Palestinian side to adopt "decisive and effective measures" to stop terrorist attacking activities and put forward a 14-point opinion on revision of the "Road Map" plan.

In the meantime, the departments concerned of the international community, particularly the Palestinian and Arab countries all stand for implementation of the "Road Map" plan without making any revision.

Reports say that the United States and Arab countries' summit meeting will be held on June 4 in Shamm el Sheikh, a tourism city of Egypt's Red Sea to discuss how to carry out the "Road Map" plan and promote the Middle East peace process.

US President George W. Bush, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine Self-government will hold a tripartite meeting in the Jordan port city of Aqaba on June 5. to decide on actual steps for implementation of the "Road Map" plan without delay in the next stage.

The international community's mediation effort is an impetus and fillip to Israel's final acceptance of the "Road Map" plan and the smooth implementation of the plan by the two sides of Palestine and Israel.

In the change of seasons, the Middle East peace process has undergone a long, tortuous course. Deviating from the "land for peace" principle will make it hard for a fair and reasonable solution of the Middle East problem.

Essentially, the Palestine-Israel peace "Road Map" plan is a reiteration and affirmation of the "land for peace" principle. An authoritative and effective international guarantee is indispensable to the anticipated result of the "Road Map".

There is no need for reticence that the Palestine-Israel peace process is destined to be tortuous and arduous. The "Road Map" plan, which couldn't be implemented by one side alone, is eventually able to take steps forward after Israel clearly stated its attitude.

By People's Daily Online

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