Jerusalem, June 17: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon today ruled out any progress with the Palestinians until they have someone "willing or able" to bring a halt to attacks on Israel.
Sharon made his comments as the Israeli Parliament held its first debate on the US-backed "roadmap" for peace which Israel and the Palestinians endorsed at a June 4 summit in Aqaba, Jordan with President George W Bush.

"As long as terrorism continues, we cannot move forward," Sharon told a meeting of legislators from his right-wing Likud Party in remarks broadcast by Israeli Public Radio.

"As long as there is nobody on the Palestinian side who wants or is able to fight terrorism, Israel will continue to strike at the terrorists and their organisations," he warned.

Sharon was to speak at the parliamentary debate after hearing criticism from leftist legislators who doubted his commitment to the roadmap aimed at creating a Palestinian state by 2005.

Washington has been putting pressure on both sides, but particularly the Palestinians, to end their latest cycle of violence and implement the peace plan drafted by the United States, Russia, United Nations and European Union.

But while negotiating the withdrawal of Israeli troops from some occupied areas and offering to scale back Israel`s campaign to assassinate militant leaders, Sharon kept a tough line on the need to end suicide bombings.

"Israel has been confronted since the Aqaba summit with a wave of terrorism, aimed at killing a maximum number of Jews, to wreck any attempt to resume talks on security and political issues," he told his Likud partymates.

Bureau Report