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Sharon: Israel is Already Talking with the Palestinians
(Ha'aretz) - Gideon Alon Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Monday: Israel is not waiting passively for the U.S. road map and is already conducting indirect talks with the Palestinians. Israel would do nothing to compromise its security. "On this matter, we have nothing to depend on other than ourselves. Israel will not pay for the war in Iraq with its security interests." Israel will support a road map that reflects the principles of President Bush's speech of last June. The prime minister said he is confident that the Americans will give serious attention to the reservations Jerusalem has expressed about the latest draft of the road map. "Israel will not agree to having the Quartet or Arab countries monitor the progress of the road map" because of their unbalanced approach to the conflict. The appointment of Abu Mazen as Palestinian prime minister would be judged according to the authority he wields and his ability to bring about the required changes in the PA. For Abu Mazen to be successful, Arafat will need to be removed from any position of power, and the sooner, the better.