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Road map for Middle East peace not dead: Powell
Washington, Mar 26: Insisting that US is working and not
Washington, Mar 26: Insisting that US is working and not "disengaged" for peace in the Middle East, US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said the road map, prepared by US and endorsed by EU, UN and Russia, for the settlement of dispute between Israel and Palestinians is "not dead".
In a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Thursday, Powell said the wall or fence Israel is erecting to demarcate what Israel considers to be a boundary between Palestinian and Israeli areas, "we have problems with the wall and we have expressed those to the Israelis.
They are free to protect themselves against the kind of terrorist activities that have so frustrated our peace efforts and the peace efforts of the previous administration."
Stating that US has been trying to help find out solutions, Powell said, "we are working with the Egyptians. We are working with our British colleagues. We are working with the Israelis. As the president said yesterday, we are prepared to send another team over. We have had teams going back and forth trying to get some transaction.
"We are trying to see if we can use the Israelis` recent idea for moving out of Gaza as a way to get this thing going forward, depending on what the Israelis are also planning at the same time with respect to the West Bank and the route of the fence.
"And so we are not disengaged but it is, perhaps, the most difficult portfolio that we have to manage. And it begins and ends with terror. As long as terror continues, as long as the Palestinian leaders and the Palestinian people do not crack down on terror, we are going to continue to have problems getting this peace process moving forward," he said. Bureau Report
They are free to protect themselves against the kind of terrorist activities that have so frustrated our peace efforts and the peace efforts of the previous administration."
Stating that US has been trying to help find out solutions, Powell said, "we are working with the Egyptians. We are working with our British colleagues. We are working with the Israelis. As the president said yesterday, we are prepared to send another team over. We have had teams going back and forth trying to get some transaction.
"We are trying to see if we can use the Israelis` recent idea for moving out of Gaza as a way to get this thing going forward, depending on what the Israelis are also planning at the same time with respect to the West Bank and the route of the fence.
"And so we are not disengaged but it is, perhaps, the most difficult portfolio that we have to manage. And it begins and ends with terror. As long as terror continues, as long as the Palestinian leaders and the Palestinian people do not crack down on terror, we are going to continue to have problems getting this peace process moving forward," he said. Bureau Report