Israel, PA come under attack for no progress on roadmap
By Masood Haider
UNITED NATIONS, Sept 23: Without offering any new ideas the diplomatic quartet on Middle East on Wednesday criticised both Israeli and Palestinian leaders for lack of progress on the roadmap.
"The situation on the ground for both Palestinians and Israelis remains extremely difficult and no significant progress has been achieved on the roadmap," a final communique said.
The meeting of the so-called quartet that drafted the roadmap was attended by Secretary of State Colin Powell, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The quartet, backing President Bush's call on Tuesday for Israel to freeze settlements in the West Bank, said Israel should implement its obligations under the roadmap to dismantle settlement outposts erected since March 2001 and to impose a settlement freeze.
"The lack of action in this regard is a cause for concern," the communique said. Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath expressed disappointment that the quartet had failed to produce an action plan to kick-start peace efforts, starting with a simultaneous cease fire. But he added: "We cannot give up the quartet. We have nothing better to replace it with and we need an international mechanism that continues to work for peace in the Middle East."
The statement said: "The Quartet notes with deep concern that genuine action is still needed so that an empowered Prime Minister and cabinet can fulfil the Palestinian Authority's obligations under the roadmap, including an unequivocal end to violence and terrorism, and the dismantlement of terrorist capabilities and infrastructure."
The group also urged the Government of Israel to implement its obligations, including dismantling of settlement outposts erected since March 2001, and to impose a settlement freeze, as called for by US President Bush and in the Road Map.
"The lack of action in this regard is a cause for concern," it said, calling also for Israeli action to ease the humanitarian and economic plight of the Palestinian people.
As it did in May, the quartet reaffirmed its concerns on the actual routing of the Israeli separation barrier. It urged positive action by the Government of Israel with respect to the barrier's route and reiterated its view that no party should undertake unilateral actions that could prejudge issues which can only be resolved through negotiations and agreement between the parties. However, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared this month that Israel was not following the roadmap, but Washington remains mute on Israeli disregard for the quartet's roadmap.
Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said after meeting US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Tuesday: "He mentioned that the roadmap didn't die." Shalom told reporters on Wednesday that Israel had resorted to the unilateral withdrawal plan because the Palestinians had failed to meet their obligation under the roadmap to destroy what he called the infrastructure of terrorism.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana told reporters it was important that the quartet had reaffirmed the demand for a settlement freeze and for changes to the Israeli security barrier, since both issues had caused problems between Europe and the United States in recent months.
"This is not a moment to have an initiative, when the capacity for action of the United States is limited," Mr Solana said, referring to the US presidential election campaign, which has made Washington more reluctant than ever to exert pressure on Israel.
