"We remain committed to the work of the Quartet and we remain committed to the roadmap we believe provides a way forward," Powell said

DAVOS, Switzerland, January 26 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday, January 26, that a Palestinian state was "possible" by the year 2005 and that the United States is committed to achieving this target.

He said the date was foreseen by the Middle East "road map" for peace from the Quartet, which groups the U.S., the U.N., the E.U. and Russia, not due to be unveiled until after Tuesday's Israeli election, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"With intensive effort by all, the creation of a democratic, viable Palestine is possible in 2005, and the U.S. will be engaged fully... in the coming months and years," Powell said.

But the U.S. secretary of state also hinted that conditions must change in other countries in the region.

"With respect to the broader Middle East, Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah is right -- Arab governments must introduce meaningful political and economic reforms if their people are to realize their potential," he said.

Powell told the U.N. Security Council last week that he hoped to put "new energy" into Middle East peace efforts after this week's Israeli elections.

"We remain committed to the work of the Quartet and we remain committed to the roadmap we believe provides a way forward," Powell told reporters.

‘Quartet is nothing’

He rejected Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's dismissal of the group and its timeline for creating a Palestinian state by 2005.

Powell said he believed there was a chance to breathe new life into the process once Israel's election was over.

"I think there will be an opportunity to put new energy into the peace process and to do something about the terrible situation that is affecting both people, both the Palestinians and the Israelis," he said.

Last month, Sharon persuaded Washington to delay drafting a final version of the road map until after the election, despite calls from Europe, Arab states and the E.U. for the plan to be agreed upon as quickly as possible.

In an interview published last weekend by the U.S. magazine Newsweek, Sharon said the quartet was destined to fail.

"Oh, the quartet is nothing! Don't take it seriously!" Sharon mocked.

Palestinian officials on Sunday accused Sharon of flexing Israel's military muscle to boost support after 13 Palestinians were killed and more than 64 wounded in the Israeli occupation army's deepest raid into Gaza City in almost a decade.

This is the first time the Israeli army has returned to the city centre since Palestinian self-rule was established there in 1994.

Unlike the West Bank, mostly re-occupied by Israel since June 2002, the Gaza Strip has been frequently raided but not over-run by Israeli forces.