Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, June 14, 2003
US Urges Israel to Show Restraint in Retaliations
US Secretary of State Colin Powell urged Israel on Friday to show restraint in retaliations as Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has ordered the army to "completely wipe out" Palestinian militant group Hamas.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell urged Israel on Friday to show restraint in retaliations as Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has ordered the army to "completely wipe out" Palestinian militant group Hamas.
"We all are anxious to see restraint and we understand that it's important to get the terror down," Powell told reporters. "If the terror goes down, the response to terror will no longer be required."
Powell said both Israeli and Palestinian leaders told him by telephone earlier in the day that, despite the violence, they will stay with the Middle East peace "road map" and commitments made at last week's Aqaba summit with US President George W. Bush.
"All of our efforts are focused on Hamas, and persuading Hamas and Islamic Jihad and other terror organizations that this is the time to abandon terror," he said.
Powell said Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas called for an end to the armed intifada last week.
Powell said, "We hope that anyone who claims, or pretends to, represent the interests of the Palestinian people, and is interested in the creation of a state for the Palestinian people will listen to his words, and listen to the pleas from the international community to end this kind of activity, so we can get going."