Washington, Dec 06: US Secretary of State Colin Powell, in an implied rebuke to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, met with the authors of a plan that provides an alternative to the US-backed 'roadmap' to Israeli-Palestinian peace and that sharply differs from Sharon's ideas. Powell told reporters after the meeting that his discussions with Israeli opposition leader Yossi Beilin and former information minister of the Palestinian authority Yasser Abed Rabbo were "good", but the roadmap remained, in the US view, the basis of resolving the conflict.

"We welcome other ideas, and they had a chance to share with me the reason for the work that they had been doing," he said.

Beilin and Rabbo said their plan, called 'Geneva Initiative', complemented, rather than conflicted, with the roadmap.

About the meeting with Powell, Rabbo said, "we were encouraged. This is a very encourage beginning."

The Palestinian leader said the Geneva initiative was the only "possible solution" -- it satisfied the basic aspirations of the people on both sides.

After the meeting, state department spokesman J Adam Ereli said, "Secretary Powell met today with the Israeli and Palestinian initiators of the Geneva initiative, and reaffirmed America's commitment to President Bush's vision, articulated on June 24, 2002 of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security." Bureau Report