US effort to rescue the Roadmap, a new security failure
Palestine-Israel-USA, Politics, 7/12/2003

The Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon will head to Washington by the end of this month in the context of the American efforts which aim at rescuing the Middle East Roadmap to peace and prevent its collapse.

Israeli officials stressed that Sharon received an invitation from the US President George W. Bush to hold talks in the White House by the end of July. Sharon's office announced last week that his visit to Washington will be by the end of September, but the Israeli officials said that the visit will be held earlier in response to an American request. No announcement was made for a certain date of the visit. On Sunday, Sharon will leave Israel on a visit to Britain and Norway and the visit will last four days.

The Israeli radio said that the Israeli prime minister Mahmoud Abbas ( Abu Mazin ) is expected to visit Washington this summer at a date which is not fixed yet. No Palestinian sources has confirmed this news. On the other hand, Palestinians said that Abbas and Sharon will be meeting next week, after a meeting between them was canceled several days ago.

Washington strongly supports the Roadmap in order to end three year of a Palestinian Intifada and to establish a Palestinian state by the end of 2005.

Meantime, the US Department Of State said that it will closely follow up 20 million dollars it had agreed to offer as aids to the Palestinian Authority for the first time Washington gives direct aid to the Palestinian Authority. But American officials said they are confident in the new administrative rules placed by the Palestinian minister of finance Salaam Fayyad. This step, however, is considered an attempt by the US to support Abbas's post.

It is expected that the assets -- part of aid at a value of 50 million dollars approved by the US Department Of State for the Palestinian Authority -- will be used to finance infrastructure projects to show to the Palestinians the effect of the peace process and the new leadership to improve their life.

The Palestinian authority, however, is expected to receive more than 200 million dollars in aid from the USA by the end of this year.

Previous Stories:
  Abbas, Sharon start Jerusalem meeting with optimism to achieve peace   (7/2/2003)
  Rice to head for the region next week   (6/24/2003)
  US continues appeasement and 'understanding' of Israel's inhuman practices; blames resistance and the oppressed   (6/21/2003)
  Powell says Middle East Roadmap is being implemented   (6/21/2003)

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