Palestine: Ross failed in his mission

Palestinian and Israeli sources said that US peace process coordinator Dennis Ross has failed to achieve any progress in his current negotiations with the two sides during the past six days.

The Palestinian government stated that the Ross mission was unsuccessful, as the Palestinian president's spokesman, Nabil Abu Radina, said that until now Ross has not been able to obtain Israeli approval for the US initiative for second-phase withdrawal and that there is no US pressure on Israel.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Israel refuses to take political decisions to implement the items of the agreement. He added that what takes place are just meetings without outcomes due to the Israeli intransigence.

Israel accused the Palestinians of retreating from previously agreed-upon responsibilities.

Meanwhile, European Union Middle East peace process coordinator Miguel Moratinos asserted that the European Union supports the idea of giving Ross priority in the Middle East peace process.

In a meeting he held on Tuesday in Jerusalem with the director general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Eitan Bin Tsour, Moratinos explained that he had informed Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Ross of the EU position concerning US mediation in the region.

Israeli Radio indicated that Moratinos met earlier in the day with Ross, who informed him about results of his current mission in the region.