Middle
East Road Map
November 7th 2004
from our correspondent
in Jerusalem
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White House promised a new push in President George
W. Bush's second term to revive a stalled Middle
East peace plan on Thursday. "We have a new opportunity
before us to move forward on the 'road map' and
get to the two-state vision that the president
outlined," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.
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"We
will remain actively engaged working with the parties
to accomplish that goal." McClellan offered few specifics,
singling out as a historic opportunity Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon's plan to evacuate troops and settlers
from the Gaza Strip and parts of the northern West
Bank.
Sharon
called Bush to congratulate him on his re-election
and on the advances made by the Republican Party in
the House of Representatives and Senate. Sharon said
that Bush's victory is a victory of ideology and belief.
Bush thanked Sharon and told him that he values Sharons
leadership, and that the results of the U.S. elections
prove that people value strong leadership.
The
White House declined to comment on the health of Arafat.
"I think right now it's important that he gets the
medical care that he needs. And we're continuing to
monitor his situation. That's where it is. I don't
think it's appropriate togo beyond that," McClellan
said. Bush has said he supports a Palestinian state
alongside Israel and an international peace plan known
as the "road map," which imposes obligations on both
sides. But for most of the two years since he began
to ostracize Arafat, his administration has made only
sporadic attempts to bring Israelis and Palestinians
together.
The
White House said Bush spoke briefly to Sharon, who
called to congratulate him on his election victory.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has urged European
nations to put their differences with the United States
over Iraq behind them and work with Bush to pursue
Middle East peace. "The need to revitalize the Middle
East peace process is the single most pressing political
challenge in our world today," Blair said.
We shall see....
