(Ha'aretz) - A three-stage diplomatic "road map" drawn up by the U.S. was presented by Assistant Secretary of State William Burns to Prime Minister Sharon's bureau chief, Dov Weisglass, Wednesday. Burns is planning to visit the region to advance the plan. The first stage involves reform of the Palestinian Authority, culminating in elections that move Arafat into a purely symbolic role. In the fall of 2003, an international conference is to be convened at which negotiations on establishing a temporary Palestinian state will begin. The final stage will be talks on a permanent-status agreement, which will be concluded in 2005-2006. An Israeli source said the plan is acceptable to Israel, since it sets performance benchmarks rather than a rigid timetable.
2002-10-17 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive