U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell hailed Israel for sticking to its schedule for withdrawing from the West Bank, but said the Middle East crisis would not end until soldiers are back in their garrisons and normal life resumes in Palestinian cities.
Powell said Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is following a timeline for a withdrawal he gave last week.
"I'm not completely satisfied. I would like to see the withdrawal continue until there is no question about it," Powell said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation." He also urged Israel to ease its confinement of Yasser Arafat so the Palestinian leader can do more to stop violence.
He aired the restrictions on Arafat's movements have prevented him from providing guidance to subordinates. "I think sooner or later, he has to be given access to the means of control, to the means of communicating with others, and so I think we'll have to work through that problem," Powell said.
But the secretary said Arafat could also do more right now. He said he can "go after those organizations that are not only killing innocent Israeli citizens, but who are killing the dream of a Palestinian state through such actions." (Albawaba.com)
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