U.S. President George Bush is considering supporting the establishment of a "temporary" Palestinian state before final status talks, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said in an interview published Wednesday in the Arabic daily Al Hayat.
Powell said that the president was not backtracking from his goal, the existence of an independent Palestine, and said that in order to achieve this goal, it is possible that a "temporary state" must be established as a transitional step.
He added that the U.S. would continue to work with Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and still plans a Middle East peace conference over the summer.
"The Palestinian people chose him (Arafat) as its leader and elected him, and he is the president of the government of the Palestinian Authority. The United States acknowledges this. I have said this repeatedly and the President (Bush) realizes this," Powell told Al-Hayat.
Powell stated that "The President has not retreated from his goal, which is the setting up of a Palestinian state called Palestine."
Powell said that the status of the Palestinian leader is in the hands of the Palestinian people. "(Sharon) knows clearly that we do not agree with his position that he ought not to work with President Arafat... We are continuing to work with President Arafat," Powell was quoted as saying.
He said there would be an international conference this summer and that the United States could back a transitional Palestinian state before final status talks are completed. "I will chair the conference, as I believe. We will hold the meeting, or conference, call it what you will, this summer," Powell expressed.
According to him, the conference will discuss four areas: security, diplomacy, economy and humanitarian issues. He conveyed that the list of countries that would participate in the summit has not been finalized, and it is still uncertain whether Syria and Lebanon will be included. "We expect to work with the Palestinian leaders – Chairman Arafat and other," Powell said. (Albawaba.com)
