June 21, 2003	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 20,1424

JERICHO, June 20: US Secretary of State Colin Powell called on Friday for Palestinian officials to take charge of security in certain occupied lands regardless of whether militants sign on to a ceasefire deal.

After a round of talks aimed at reviving the stalled peace process, Mr Powell also found himself at odds with Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Abbas over a role for the Hamas in a future Palestinian government.

Mr Powell urged efforts to “move as rapidly as we can” on the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the northern Gaza Strip and the West Bank town of Bethlehem, and the transfer of policing authority to the Palestinians.

He told a joint news conference with Mr Abbas that such a move would be “a very, very powerful and important first step” towards implementation of a US-backed roadmap for peace agreed at a summit in Aqaba, Jordan, two weeks ago.

“We should not in any way hold that activity hostage to what might or what might not be happening in the ceasefire, as they are called, discussions” among the Palestinian factions, Mr Powell said.

Mr Abbas has been focusing on bringing Hamas and the other Palestinian militants on board a truce deal with Israel and told reporters that an accord would be finalized “soon, soon, soon”.

But, Mr Powell said: “Even if those discussions prove fruitful, we really have to get to a point ... where the only ones with guns and military force in any nation has to be the government under legal control.”

Talks have been under way for nearly a week without a final agreement on a withdrawal of Israeli troops from certain sectors. Each side has blamed the other for the impasse.—AFP