VOA News
22 Jun 2003, 15:14 UTC
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says he regrets Israel's killing of a top Hamas official, saying it could slow the Mideast peace process.
Mr. Powell, speaking in Jordan Sunday at a meeting of the World Economic Forum, said the incident "could be an impediment to progress."
The American official joined representatives of the so-called quartet of Mideast mediators - the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations - on the sidelines of the economic meeting to discuss how to move forward on the "road map" to peace they have drafted.
The plan calls for reciprocal steps to be taken by both sides leading to the creation of an independent Palestinian state by 2005.
Despite the latest violence, Israeli and Palestinian officials are reported to be close to a deal that would give Palestinians control of security in the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas has vowed revenge for the killing of the senior Hamas official, Abdullah Qawasmeh, in a raid that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has hailed as a "successful operation."
A leading Hamas official, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, says the killing will not go unpunished.
Mr. Sharon, meeting with his cabinet Sunday, was quoted as saying that the operation was "important" for Israel's security. He warned that wanted militants would continue to be targets if Palestinian leaders fail to take serious action to curb their activities.
Israeli officials say Mr. Qawasmeh was the mastermind behind a series of suicide attacks carried out by Hamas, including a recent bus bombing in Jerusalem that killed 17 people.
Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.
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