Post by Salem6 on Dec 3, 2003 9:52:33 GMT
US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said he intends to meet the authors of an unofficial peace plan for the Middle East, despite opposition from Israel.
Mr Powell said he had a right to meet anyone with ideas on advancing peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
The Geneva plan deals head-on with contentious issues
He was responding to a rare rebuke by Israel's deputy prime minister, who said such a move would be a "mistake".
The Israeli Government has rejected the Geneva plan - the Palestinian Authority has given it only lukewarm support.
The plan, launched on Monday by Israeli and Palestinian political figures, calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state, and the dismantling of most Jewish settlements.
It grants Israel the right to decide how many Palestinian refugees can return to Israel.
The US State Department said Mr Powell was expected to meet the accord's chief authors - former Israeli Justice Minister Yossi Beilin and former Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo - in Washington on Friday, when Mr Powell returns from his trip to North Africa and Europe.
'Interesting ideas'
The BBC's Sebastian Usher say Mr Powell has given the accord a new credibility, where previously it was seen as having mostly symbolic value.
GENEVA ACCORD: MAIN POINTS
Israeli withdrawal from almost all West Bank and Gaza
Shared sovereignty over Jerusalem
Palestinian renunciation of 'right of return' [/b]
Israel has balked at the prospect of the US endorsing the Geneva plan as a substitute for the official US-backed roadmap peace plan.
Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the proposed three-way meeting was a "wrong step by a representative of the American administration", but Mr Powell dismissed the criticism.
"We are not stepping back in any way from our commitment to the roadmap," Mr Powell said in Tunis.
"I am the American secretary of state. I have an obligation... to listen to individuals who have interesting ideas."
The Geneva plan was overshadowed by more violence on Tuesday, as Israeli troops shot dead two Palestinians in the West Bank.
Witnesses said Amjad Saadi, a member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, was killed after a gun battle with Israeli soldiers in Jenin.
Troops detained several other Palestinians after sending tanks into the city and the nearby village of Silat Al Harthiya, where they also destroyed two homes belonging to members of the radical Islamic Jihad group.
In Ramallah, a Palestinian teenager was shot dead by soldiers after throwing an explosive device at an Israeli car, Palestinian and Israeli military sources said.
The death came a day after Israeli troops arrested at least 30 suspects and killed four Palestinians, including a nine-year-old boy, in Ramallah.
Ceasefire talks
A member of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement said the renewed Israeli military operations, coming after a lull in violence, risked sabotaging efforts this week to secure a truce offer from Palestinian militants.
"The latest Israeli escalation seriously threatens the dialogue in Cairo and puts serious obstacles in front of taking a decision to implement calm," said Ahmad Ghneim.
Informal talks began in Cairo on Tuesday between several Palestinian factions including Fatah, aimed at securing a new Palestinian ceasefire offer.
The official opening of the talks has been delayed until Thursday, when Islamic militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad plan to join the talks.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, who took office last month, hopes to present a Palestinian truce offer to Israel, a key step in reviving the US-backed peace plan.
A previous Palestinian ceasefire collapsed in August after less than two months.
Video:-
The BBC's Jon Leyne
"The Secretary of State has stirred controversy"
news.bbc.co.uk/media/video/39591000/rm/_39591303_mideast03_leyne03_vi.ram
Mr Powell said he had a right to meet anyone with ideas on advancing peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
The Geneva plan deals head-on with contentious issues
He was responding to a rare rebuke by Israel's deputy prime minister, who said such a move would be a "mistake".
The Israeli Government has rejected the Geneva plan - the Palestinian Authority has given it only lukewarm support.
The plan, launched on Monday by Israeli and Palestinian political figures, calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state, and the dismantling of most Jewish settlements.
It grants Israel the right to decide how many Palestinian refugees can return to Israel.
The US State Department said Mr Powell was expected to meet the accord's chief authors - former Israeli Justice Minister Yossi Beilin and former Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo - in Washington on Friday, when Mr Powell returns from his trip to North Africa and Europe.
'Interesting ideas'
The BBC's Sebastian Usher say Mr Powell has given the accord a new credibility, where previously it was seen as having mostly symbolic value.
GENEVA ACCORD: MAIN POINTS
Israeli withdrawal from almost all West Bank and Gaza
Shared sovereignty over Jerusalem
Palestinian renunciation of 'right of return' [/b]
Israel has balked at the prospect of the US endorsing the Geneva plan as a substitute for the official US-backed roadmap peace plan.
Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the proposed three-way meeting was a "wrong step by a representative of the American administration", but Mr Powell dismissed the criticism.
"We are not stepping back in any way from our commitment to the roadmap," Mr Powell said in Tunis.
"I am the American secretary of state. I have an obligation... to listen to individuals who have interesting ideas."
The Geneva plan was overshadowed by more violence on Tuesday, as Israeli troops shot dead two Palestinians in the West Bank.
Witnesses said Amjad Saadi, a member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, was killed after a gun battle with Israeli soldiers in Jenin.
Troops detained several other Palestinians after sending tanks into the city and the nearby village of Silat Al Harthiya, where they also destroyed two homes belonging to members of the radical Islamic Jihad group.
In Ramallah, a Palestinian teenager was shot dead by soldiers after throwing an explosive device at an Israeli car, Palestinian and Israeli military sources said.
The death came a day after Israeli troops arrested at least 30 suspects and killed four Palestinians, including a nine-year-old boy, in Ramallah.
Ceasefire talks
A member of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement said the renewed Israeli military operations, coming after a lull in violence, risked sabotaging efforts this week to secure a truce offer from Palestinian militants.
"The latest Israeli escalation seriously threatens the dialogue in Cairo and puts serious obstacles in front of taking a decision to implement calm," said Ahmad Ghneim.
Informal talks began in Cairo on Tuesday between several Palestinian factions including Fatah, aimed at securing a new Palestinian ceasefire offer.
The official opening of the talks has been delayed until Thursday, when Islamic militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad plan to join the talks.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, who took office last month, hopes to present a Palestinian truce offer to Israel, a key step in reviving the US-backed peace plan.
A previous Palestinian ceasefire collapsed in August after less than two months.
Video:-
The BBC's Jon Leyne
"The Secretary of State has stirred controversy"
news.bbc.co.uk/media/video/39591000/rm/_39591303_mideast03_leyne03_vi.ram