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| Middle East |
| Palestinians may get interim state |
| 2002-06-12 |
| Secretary of State Colin Powell on Wednesday began to sketch out the Bush administration's plans for a Palestinian state, saying in an interview with an Arabic newspaper that the process may begin with a transitional or temporary state. Powell on Wednesday said President Bush would round out his consultations with Middle East leaders Thursday with the Saudi foreign minister and then, "in the very near future," announce how he intends to secure a Palestinian state. The president and Powell have insisted on democratic reform within the Palestinian Authority. But at the same time Powell has indicated the process of reform should not halt establishment of a state on land held by Israel. "The president has not retreated from his goal," Powell said. "He knows that in order to achieve this vision, it might be necessary to set up a temporary state as a transitional step." Powell reiterated that any Palestinian state should be democratically ruled. I think it would be a good idea to give Palestine it's own state. Then the Israelis could just declare war on the sonsofbitches and get it over with. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |