U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has come up with an interesting idea for the Israeli-PLO standoff: A temporary Palestinian state. Powell told a Lebanese newspaper that President Bush feels that such a state could be a \"step towards a comprehensive agreement, something on which the Palestinians could hang their hopes and dreams.\" President Bush\'s vision of peace in the Middle East, Powell said, includes \"the end of the conquest, the end of [Jewish] settlements [in Yesha], and a Palestinian state - and I know that in order to reach this vision, a temporary state is needed as an interim stage.\"
President Bush has spoken out strongly against Yasser Arafat\'s leadership, and Powell\'s statements echoed this to some extent. \"In order for a temporary state to be created,\" the Secretary said, \"it must be democratic, transparent, without corruption, and its security organs must work well.\"
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon concluded his visit to Washington last night, met today with British Prime Minister Blair in London, and will return to Israel very early tomorrow morning. Sharon left two of his top aides - Dov Weisglass and his military attache Brig.-Gen. (res.) Moshe Kaplinsky - in order to closely follow the visit of the Saudi Foreign Minister in Washington and ensure that the understandings Sharon reached with Bush are not harmed.
President Bush has spoken out strongly against Yasser Arafat\'s leadership, and Powell\'s statements echoed this to some extent. \"In order for a temporary state to be created,\" the Secretary said, \"it must be democratic, transparent, without corruption, and its security organs must work well.\"
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon concluded his visit to Washington last night, met today with British Prime Minister Blair in London, and will return to Israel very early tomorrow morning. Sharon left two of his top aides - Dov Weisglass and his military attache Brig.-Gen. (res.) Moshe Kaplinsky - in order to closely follow the visit of the Saudi Foreign Minister in Washington and ensure that the understandings Sharon reached with Bush are not harmed.