Powell Plans Mideast Trip Next week: US Officials

26/04/2003| IslamWeb

US Secretary of State Colin Powell will visit the Middle East next week in a new bid to advance the peace process, US officials said. Powell is to leave Thursday for Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Syria. However, the Israeli and Palestinian stops depend on the Palestinian legislature's confirmation of Mahmud Abbas as prime minister, a move that will trigger the release of the long-delayed "roadmap" for Middle East peace, officials said.

Palestinian lawmakers are expected to vote Tuesday on the confirmation of Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen.

Because of uncertainty over the vote and discussions about how the roadmap -- drawn up with the European Union, Russia and the United Nations -- will be presented to Israel and the Palestinians, the officials said, Powell's exact itinerary was not finalized.

"It's still in flux at this point," one official said on condition of anonymity. "The outline is there, but what's in between just isn't yet."

"One of the goals of the trip is working with the parties on implementing the steps in the roadmap and so setting dates and a final itinerary is difficult until the Palestinians act," a second official said.

The State Department is expected to formally announce the trip early next week, the officials said on condition of anonymity.

But they said Powell planned to leave Washington Thursday and head first to Cairo, before going to Riyadh, Amman, Damascus and the possible stops in Jerusalem and Ramallah.

In addition to discussing Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, Powell is also expected to review events in postwar Iraq with Egyptian, Jordanian and Saudi leaders, the officials said.

In Syria, he will follow up on US demands Damascus cease cooperating with remnants of Saddam Hussein's regime, stop support for organizations Washington deems to be terrorist and halt its alleged pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.

"Syria is well aware of our concerns, and what we're going to do is discuss those concerns in a spirit of openness and candor, and I will not hold back the strength of our feelings on these positions," Powell told Lebanese television in an interview Thursday.

"I've met previously with the president and the foreign minister on a number of occasions, and I'm sure they will not hold back in responding," he said, referring to Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and his top diplomat Faruq al-Shara.

"We will have a good, strong, candid dialogue, and I'm looking forward to it," Powell said.

PHOTO CAPTION

US Secretary of State Colin Powell. Powell plans to travel to the Middle East, leaving for Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Syria. (AFP/File/Luke Frazza)