February 20, 2007	Tuesday	Safar 2, 1428

JERUSALEM, Feb 19: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Muslim concerns about Israeli renovations near a revered Jerusalem mosque are justified, in an interview with a Palestinian newspaper published on Monday.

“There are some safety concerns, but there are also some very justified concerns about not crossing certain lines with the excavation,” the US top diplomat was quoted as telling Al-Ayyam.

She called on the Israeli authorities to consult all concerned parties before going forward with the building work to a ramp leading to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

Israel says the work is necessary to repair damage to the ramp caused by an earthquake and inclement weather.

“We have expressed our concerns to Israel about that and I think that there has been some understanding that this needs to be a process that is agreed among all relevant parties,” Rice said.

Sporadic riots broke out in Arab east Jerusalem and several West Bank cities after Israel began the renovation work earlier this month, triggering protests across the Arab and Islamic world.—AFP