Bush looks to rejuvenate roadmap
Monday, 16 Jul 2007 20:53
Mr Bush: "Many changes have come, some hopeful, some dispiriting"
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US president George Bush has called on Palestinians and Israelis to restart the peace process in the Middle East.
Restating his administration's calls for a two-state solution, Mr Bush said that Palestinians face a "moment of clarity" in which they must choose between extremism and a "peaceful state".
Renewed optimism about the road map follows the end of militant group Hamas' role in government, which saw punitive sanctions imposed upon the Palestinian territories by the international community after elections held in January 2006.
Hamas recently seized control of power in the Gaza Strip, allowing Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to form a Fatah-based administration with which the so-called Quartet of negotiators – the US, the EU, the UN and Russia – are prepared to negotiate.
"By following this path [away from extremism], Palestinians can reclaim their dignity and their future - and establish a state of their own," Mr Bush said in his White House speech.
He said the Quartet would boost financial aid to Mr Abbas' government, strengthen its political and diplomatic commitment and help build the institutions of a Palestinian state through the work of former British prime minister Tony Blair.
"America will strongly support his work to help Palestinian leaders answer their people's desire to live in peace," Mr Bush added, before calling for a meeting of leaders this autumn to discuss the way forward for the troubled region.