May 1, 2003	Thursday	Safar 28, 1424

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WASHINGTON, April 30: Formally unveiling the much-awaited international “roadmap” for peace in the Middle East, US President George Bush on Wednesday urged Palestinians and Israelis to “immediately end the violence and return to a path of peace”.

The plan, formulated by the United States, European Union, the United Nations and Russia, envisions a Palestinian state by 2005. It also calls for a rollback of Israeli settlements.

“The roadmap represents a starting point toward achieving the vision of two states - a secure state of Israel and a viable, peaceful, democratic Palestine,” Mr Bush said in a statement read by his press secretary, Ari Fleischer. “It is a framework for progress toward lasting peace and security in the Middle East.”

Urging Israelis and Palestinians to work “with each other” to bring peace to their region, the US president said the international peace plan could only work if both sides contribute to its success.

“An opportunity now exists to move forward,” he added.

Soon after the delivery of the plan, US Secretary of State Colin Powell conferred by telephone with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel and Mahmoud Abbas, the new Palestinian prime minister.

Mr Powell intends to follow up his talks with meetings with Mr Sharon and Mr Abbas later this month.

OBLIGATIONS: In the first phase, the roadmap focuses on ending violence and building confidence between the two sides. The Palestinians are supposed to stop all attacks on Israel and reform their governing institutions to make them more democratic and accountable.

Israel is supposed to freeze the building of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and withdraw its troops from the occupied territories.

Phase two seeks to establish a provisional Palestinian state by the end of the current year (2003).

Phase three calls for a final agreement by the end of 2005. It is expected to resolve the status of Jerusalem, the final borders between the two states; and the issue of the return of Palestinian refugees to their original homes that are now inside Israel.

The roadmap seeks to bypass bilateral negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Since the two sides have lost all faith in each other, the plan’s sponsors are seeking to have both sides take independent, simultaneous actions that will achieve their own goals.

FIRST PHASE: At the outset of the first phase, the Palestinian leadership must issue an unequivocal statement reiterating Israel’s right to exist in peace and security and calling for an immediate and unconditional end to the armed struggle.

The Israeli leadership would issue an unequivocal statement affirming its commitment to the vision of an independent, viable, sovereign Palestinian state living in peace and security alongside Israel.

SECOND PHASE: In the second phase, efforts will focus on the option of creating an independent Palestinian state with provisional borders and attributes of sovereignty, based on the new constitution, as a way station to a permanent status settlement.

Progress into the second phase will be based on the judgment of the Quartet whether conditions are appropriate to move ahead, taking into account the performance of both parties. The phase starts after Palestinian elections and ends with possible creation of an independent Palestinian state with provisional borders in 2003.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: An international conference will be convened by the quartet, in consultation with the parties, immediately after the successful conclusion of Palestinian elections, to support Palestinian economic recovery and launch a process leading to the establishment of the state.

Such a meeting would be inclusive, based on the goal of a comprehensive Middle East peace (including between Israel and Syria, and Israel and Lebanon), and based on the principles described in the preamble to the document.

A second international conference will be convened by the Quartet next year to endorse an agreement envisaged on a Palestinian state and subsequently to launch a process leading to a final, permanent status resolution in 2005, including borders, Jerusalem, refugees and settlements.

Agencies add: An unusual mood of cautious optimism prevailed following publication of the roadmap.

The EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, welcomed Mr Abbas’s swearing-in, saying it looked forward to working closely with him, while condemning violence.

“We count on the Palestinian Authority to use its influence to support the peace process and to combat violence and terrorism.”

The statement, by commission head Romano Prodi and external relations commissioner Chris Patten, added that the commission “will continue to support the Palestinians in their reform efforts and the new government’s programme particularly in the areas of rule of law, financial reform and the preparation of elections”.

The Greek EU presidency said the approval of the new Palestinian government and the appointment of a new prime minister were “hopeful signposts along the road towards defusing the conflict and returning to the negotiations table”.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who sought to keep the quest for Middle East peace on the front burner in the run-up to the Iraq invasion, welcomed the roadmap’s publication, saying “the prize is enormous”, while warning that “I do not underestimate the commitment it will require”.

Russian foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko called on Israel to facilitate “the normalization of life of the Palestinians and above all to withdraw its troops from the Palestinian territories reoccupied since Sept 28, 2000” to enable national and municipal elections to be held.

Russia’s Middle East envoy Andrei Vdovin said Mr Abbas’s approval “gives a real chance to stop violence and peacefully resolve the conflict in the region”.

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan urged Palestinians and Israelis to stick to the peace process.

“Annan reiterates his appeal to the Palestinians to pursue non-violent policies and urges the Palestinian Authority to make every effort to stop these terrorist acts against Israelis.” the UN chief’s spokesman said.

Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak called for the swift implementation of the plan, now that the Palestinians had met a key condition by appointing their first prime minister.

“By the formation of a Palestinian government and its endorsement by the Palestinian Legislative Council, the Palestinian...side has fulfilled its commitments at this stage,” the president said in a televised speech marking Labour Day.

“We expect work on settling the (Palestinian) issue to start immediately through the announcement of the roadmap and the start of its implementation...under the supervision of a suitable monitoring mechanism,” he said.