Palestinian leaders have put aside reservations to parts of the U.S.-developed plan for peace with Israel and are ready to get started on it, Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday, heeding an appeal by Secretary of State Colin Powell.
"We have accepted the road map," Abbas said at a joint news conference with Powell after their first meeting since Abbas was sworn in on April 30. "For the sake of opening the road, we have dropped our reservations," Abbas said.
Powell said "there is sufficient good will to get started" on the blueprint, or road map. "I believe there is sufficient agreement on the road map that we can get started," said Powell.
But Yasser Abed Rabbo, a Palestinian minister, suggested the path ahead was not so smooth, noting that the Israelis are insisting on reopening the road map for revisions.
Nabil Shaath, a Palestinian minister, said, "What's missing is not where the U.S. stands, it's where Israel stands."
Abbas made a public appeal in Powell's presence that Israel remove its travel restrictions on the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat. Abbas asked that Arafat "be granted his freedom to travel without the restrictions Israel imposes on him."
Also Sunday, Powell said the United States would provide $50 million to Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza to create jobs, rebuild the infrastructure and revive their economy. That money is in addition to the $75 million in U.S. aid this year, and more than $700 million since 1996.
Before meeting with Abbas, Powell said the new Palestinian prime minister understands that "terror" against Israel must stop for peacemaking to go forward. Israelis told Powell they want to see "terror" groups dismantled.
Referring to Abbas, Powell said "I think he understands that terror must be brought to an end."
Israeli officials told Powell that they expected Abbas to dismantle Hamas and other armed groups. "We expect the Palestinians to root out the terror, not just a cease-fire," Israel's Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said after meeting with Powell before his summit with Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. "A cease-fire would allow the terror groups to reorganize and rearm."
During the joint press conference with Sharon, Powell stated that "practical steps on the ground" were needed in order to move the peace process forward.
"We welcome the positive steps, political steps already taken by Palestinian officials towards reform and towards peace, but we must also see rapid, decisive action by the Palestinians to disarm and dismantle the terrorist infrastructure," Powell said. "Without such action, our best efforts will fail," he said.
Powell said that the two discussed settlements and "illegal outposts," and that they would continue to do so. The secretary of state called Sharon's ideas to ease the conditions on the Palestinian people "very promising and very hopeful."
Neither Sharon nor Powell gave any specifics regarding the steps to be taken. The Israeli prime minister said that he intended to meet with Palestinian leaders "soon."
"In order to make progress and to not miss this opportunity, we will soon be meeting with our Palestinian colleagues and with the help of the Americans we will be able to achieve a settlement that will lead to peace," Sharon said.
Palestinian Minister Saeb Erekat said in response to the press conference that the key missing element was Israel's acceptance of the "road map" peace plan.
Powell was to meet Abu Mazen, after his meeting with Sharon. He said he would discuss how the international community could help the Palestinians impose order. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
