Rice: settlement activity ought to stop; Abul-Gheit: Olmert statements not positive

"Statements by Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in which he claimed that territories between the Jordan River and the sea were the Jews' rights are not positive and not helping confidence-building measures," said Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul -Gheit.

Abul -Gheit, at a press conference on Wednesday, said Egypt holds that the Roadmap peace plan was still standing.

"International peace efforts are now underway and there are calls upon Israel to stop settlement building," said the Egyptian top diplomat.

Abul- Gheit further noted that the United Nations and the international Quartet were supporting that stance.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had called upon Israel to stop its expansion of settlements, saying the Bush administration is "particularly concerned" over "any kind of activity that would prejudge the outcome of a final status agreement" between Israel and the Palestinians.

In her April 4 remarks to the National Conference of Editorial Writers at the State Department, Secretary Rice said U.S. policy "is very clear: The expansion of settlements ought to stop; settlement activity ought to stop."

Days ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's scheduled April 11 meeting with President Bush in Crawford, Texas, the Israeli government announced it is planning to expand its settlement of Maale Adumim near Jerusalem.

"They say that this is the beginning, this is planning, this is tendering, but we are very concerned that there not be any land taken here that could be viewed to be some kind of attempt to get ahead of a final status agreement," Rice said.