Gaza City, Nov 07: A top aide to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat accused Israel today of spurning a US-backed peace "roadmap" and of frustrating international peace efforts in the region. Pointing to comments by Israel's newly appointed foreign minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, that the roadmap "is not on the agenda," Nabil Abu Rudeina said: "Israel is officially shunning and frustrating international efforts, including those exerted by the quartet and by the United States."
The plan is based on a US outline and was developed by the so-called middle east quartet of Washington, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia. On his first day in the job yesterday, Netanyahu warned that implementation of the "roadmap" would be postponed due to the possibility of an imminent US-led strike on Iraq, army radio reported.
Abu Rudeina said the Israeli stance "is not only damaging the quartet's efforts, it is also hampering any future us and international efforts in the region."
He asked that the United States stop "Israel's new negligence and its continuing rejection" of international peace endeavors.
Israel's right-wing Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has also expressed strong reservations about the "roadmap for peace" plan, but accepts the principle of a Palestinian state, something Netanyahu wants to see completely ruled out. Bureau Report