MIDDLE EAST: Palestine calls on quartet to quickly implement oroadmap"

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Att.Editors: The following item is from the Qatar News Agency (QNA)

GAZA, Mar 29 2003 (IPS) - Statements by US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair on the so-called – roadmap" for peace in the Middle East were merely ôpain-relieving", Palestinian cabinet minister Saeb Erekat said Saturday.

Blair and Bush, who met in Camp David two days ago, said the roadmap for peace in the Middle East is to be presented to Israeli and Palestinian parties in the coming days.

Erekat pointed out that the roadmap had been delayed six times in four months. He added that postponing the roadmap because of the US-British-led war on Iraq violates the agreements of the quartet committee (US, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union).

– Right after the roadmap was first presented to both Israeli and the Palestinians, we accepted it, but Israel rejected it, refused to implement it and is still escalating its aggression against the Palestinian people," said Erekat.

Erekat called on the quartet committee to implement the roadmap as quickly as possible.