Bush urges Sharon to halt settlements in the West Bank

The American President George W. Bush urged the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to halt the settlement activities in the West Bank and dismantle what he described the illegal positions there.

Bush demanded in a joint press conference with Sharon in Crawford, Texas, Israel to honor its obligations, according to the Roadmap and not to carry out any activities prior to the final status negotiations.

President Bush also demanded the Palestinian authorities to abide by its obligations regarding this plan and to work for dismantling what he called the armed extremist groups which target Israel.

The American president said he is committed to his special vision to two independent states living side by side. He also renewed support for the withdrawal plan from Gaza. He said he supports strongly this plan and stressed that Israel can keep major settlement aggregations in the West Bank.