December 30, 2002	Monday	Shawwal 25, 1423

TEL AVIV, Dec 29: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has given his approval to the latest draft of the Middle East peace “roadmap”, which calls on Palestinians to take concrete steps to curb violence, a spokesman said on Sunday.

“We can live with it,” said Sharon spokesman Raanan Gissin. “The Palestinians have to prove they are making 100 percent effort in the fight against terrorism, without which the roadmap will not be implemented,” he said.

Gissin added that Israel would make its full response to the plan after general elections on Jan 28.

The plan, drawn up by US, UN, EU and Russian officials from the so-called quartet, sets out steps to end the 26-month conflict and create an independent Palestinian state by 2005.

The Jerusalem Post said on Sunday it had obtained the main points of the latest version from a senior quartet official, adding that little new was presented in the draft, whose finalization the United States delayed, at Israel’s urging and despite EU objections, until after the elections.

The Israeli daily did say, however, that in the new blueprint the Palestinians were obliged to take concrete steps to crack down on violence, including collecting illegal weapons, instead of merely calling for an end to attacks as previous drafts had stipulated.

The daily said in the first stage, from January to June, Israeli commitments would include a total freeze on Jewish settlements in the West Bank and dismantling outposts built since March 2000, a pullback to positions held before the uprising began and an end to attacks on civilians and the demolition of buildings.

On the Palestinian side, the plan calls for elections as soon as possible, security and political reforms, fiscal transparency and a “visible effort to arrest, disrupt, restrain terrorists”.

The second phase, from June to December next year, would include a quartet-mediated conference to establish a Palestinian state with provisional borders, while the Palestinians appoint a prime minister, ratify a constitution and reinforce reforms.—AFP