Madrid, May 01: US Secretary of State Colin Powell today urged Israel and the Palestinian authority to begin talks on the US-backed formula for peace in the middle east, saying "a lot of work has to take place" before president George W Bush`s goals can be met. "We need to see the end of terror and actions on the Israel side as well," Powell said, seeking to put pressure on both sides in the decades-old dispute. Powell, opening a trip through Europe and the Middle East, spoke in Spain a day after president Bush urged Israelis and Palestinians to "immediately end the violence and return to a path of peace."
A roadmap, or blueprint, for negotiations between the two sides was announced yesterday.

While Bush said in March, "We would expect and welcome contributions from Israel and the Palestinians to this document," Powell has avoid delay and called for prompt negotiations based on the roadmap, as it is.
The appointment of Mahmoud Abbas as Palestinian Prime Minister triggered the new US drive. Bush, who tried to Ostracise Yass er Arafat, yesterday called Abbas, known also as Abu Mazen, "A man I can work with."


Powell, meanwhile, is expected to go the region in the next two weeks for talks with Mazen and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.


Bush said yesterday that achieving peace requires that "all parties must assume their responsibilities." Bureau Report