Military

DATE=3-1403

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=U-S / MIDEAST WRAP (L-ONLY)

NUMBER=2-300707

BYLINE=DAVID GOLLUST

DATELINE=STATE DEPARTMENT

CONTENT=

INTRO: President Bush says the long-delayed "roadmap" to a Middle East peace accord will be given to the parties as soon as a Palestinian prime minister with real governing authority takes office. The administration has been under pressure from U-S allies and Arab states to act on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as a possible war with Iraq looms. V-O-A's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

TEXT: The "roadmap," which aims for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict within three years, has been under development by the so-called "quartet" on the Middle East: the United States, Russia, the European Union and United Nations.

/// OPT /// Its release, initially expected late last year, has been held up at U-S insistence because of Israeli-Palestinian violence and the Israeli election process.

But with a new Israeli government headed by Ariel Sharon now seated and the Palestinians, under prodding from the quartet, preparing to transfer at least some powers from Yasser Arafat to a new prime minister, administration officials now say it is time to go forward. /// END OPT ///

In a White House announcement, President Bush said a "hopeful moment" had arrived which he said offers a "new opportunity" to reach the goal he set last June of peace accord for a viable Palestinian state and a secure Israel living side-by-side.

Flanked by Secretary of State Colin Powell, the U-S point man in "roadmap" negotiations, the President said the peace plan will go to the parties as soon as an empowered Palestinian prime minister takes office, action that could come next week:

///BUSH ACTUALITY///

To be a credible and responsible partner, the new Palestinian prime minister must hold a position of real authority. We expect that such a Palestinian prime minister will be confirmed soon. Immediately upon confirmation, the roadmap for peace will be given to the Palestinians and the Israelis. This roadmap will set forth a sequence of steps toward the goals I set out on June 24th, 2002. Goals shared by all the parties.

///END ACT///

Mr. Bush said he expects the Palestinian side to "forever" abandon the use of terrorism and said the Israeli government, as the terror threat is removed and security improves, must take "concrete steps" to support the emergence of a "viable and credible" Palestinian state. This, he said, includes an "end" to settlement activity in what he termed the "occupied territories."

/// BEGIN OPT ///

The Palestinian parliament earlier this week approved the creation of the prime minister's post, for which Yasser Arafat has nominated Mahmoud Abbas, the longtime number-two figure in the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Legislators gave the prime minister day-to-day responsibility for running Palestinian affairs but left ultimate authority over the security services and negotiations with Israel to Mr. Arafat. However, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher signaled U-S acceptance of the formula, saying what is important is how Mr. Abba exercises his powers in practice:

///BOUCHER ACTUALITY///

We think that in principle, the position has the authority that's necessary to run the Palestinian government, to take the steps that are necessary to build security, to control finances in a transparent fashion, to transform the Palestinian Authority along the lines of what the President talked about last June and in subsequent statements. In the end, the exercise of those authorities is very important to all of us.

///END ACT///

President Bush preceded his announcement with telephone calls to the leaders of Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The move has been widely welcomed in the Middle East and in Europe, where many leaders have been critical of the administration's focus on Iraq and seeming inactivity on the Middle east peace front.

/// END OPT ///

In London, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is under political pressure for his strong support for President Bush on Iraq, said his detractors have been demanding even-handedness in dealing with Iraq and the Palestinian issue and they are getting it:

///BLAIR ACTUALITY///

The real criticism of us throughout has been: show that you're even-handed, show that you're also committed to ending the suffering of other people because of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And today we have the commitment the people have asked us to give: to the publication of the roadmap that allows us to get to that two-state solution: an Israeli state confident of its security and a viable Palestinian state.

///END ACT///

The "roadmap"lays out a schedule of reciprocal steps by Israel and the Palestinians, including a pullback of Israeli troops from Palestinian areas reoccupied since September of 2000 and end to Palestinian violence and incitement. The process is to culminate with a final-status accord including Palestinian statehood within defined borders, and Arab-wide recognition of Israel before the end of 2005. (Signed)

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