A new US strategy in the Middle East

The New York Times issued on Thursday quoted high ranking American officials as saying that the US secretary of state Colin Powell will next Monday deliver a speech before the UN general assembly in which he will speak about a new US strategy on the Middle East and the resumption of the Palestinian- Israeli negotiations with the aim of establishing the Palestinian state.

The officials in the American government explained that Powell will call in his speech on Israel and the Palestinians to take tangible steps towards peace but without declaring a plan.

The sources continued that Powell will urge Israel to halt the settlement movement in the Palestinian territories after deciding the cease- fire and resuming the negotiations and will also repeat his call to the chairman of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat in order to halt what the Americans call the acts of violence and arresting activists of the Palestinian Intifada.

The New York Times added that Powell, will not, on the other hand, call for declaring Jerusalem as an open city, and considering it a capital for Israel and Palestine.