US Secretary of State Colin Powell is planning to present an American proposal to help bring the Israeli-Palestinian conflict under control, senior administration officials told the New York times on Sunday.
But Powell will stop short of immediate mediation, and instead is likely to make a formal statement, as early as Monday, in which he will offer the two sides "lifelines" that could lead to further public and personal diplomacy, the officials said.
The secretary's statement comes amid mounting demands that the US take a more active role in restoring calm to the volatile situation in the region.
Pressure for more public American involvement built during the weekend from Washington's main Arab friends and from Europe, said the report.
President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt sent a letter to President Bush stating that the Israeli air strikes made Egyptian efforts at peace almost untenable, but adding that despite the anger expressed by the Arab League over the weekend, he was not giving up. The new Egyptian foreign minister, Ahmed Maher, urged General Powell on Saturday to take a stronger approach.
The secretary is to use a report by a fact-finding commission led by former Senator George J. Mitchell, which is to be released Monday, as the vehicle for his proposal, according to the paper.
The Mitchell report's concepts include a cease-fire, the implementation of confidence-building measures by both sides, a cooling-off period and the resumption of talks.
The confidence-building measures would require the Palestinians to arrest members of the militant Hamas movement, and the Israelis to pull back their tanks, moves that both sides would be most reluctant to take in the highly charged situation, the officials acknowledged – Albawaba.com
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