Powell rescheduled his Mideast visit

WASHINGTON, April 29 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - U.S. officials said U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will likely skip Israel and the Palestinian territories on a Middle East trip he plans to take this week as the region awaits the long-delayed release of the so-called "roadmap" for peace, as Palestinian legislators are due to meet Tuesday, April 29, for a crucial vote aiming to clear the way for the publication of the long-awaited peace plan.

The U.S. officials said Powell was considering radical changes to the visit, dropping all but Syria from his original itinerary in the Middle East and adding stops in Lebanon, Spain and Albania, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Powell still expects to leave Washington Thursday, May 1, but instead of heading to Egypt first as had been expected, he now plans to make Madrid his first stop, the officials told AFP on condition of anonymity.

In Spain, Powell would meet with European officials while lower-level diplomats representing the international diplomatic quartet on the Middle East - the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia - gather to discuss the release of the so-called "roadmap" for Middle East peace.

Under the new scenario, which is still being refined and subject to change, Powell will then travel to Tirana before heading on to Damascus and concluding the trip with a brief stop in Beirut, the officials said.

The focus of the stop in Tirana will be the signing of the U.S.-Adriatic Charter between the United States, Albania, Croatia, Macedonia that had originally been scheduled for Friday in Washington, officials said.

In Syria and Lebanon, Powell will discuss U.S. concerns about anti-Israel groups operating in the two countries as well as pressing Damascus on its alleged support for “terrorism” and pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.

Initially, Powell had planned to go to Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Syria with possible stops in Israel and the Palestinian territories, depending on the status of the roadmap, which is supposed to be released after Palestinian Prime Minister-designate Mahmud Abbas takes office.

The dropped stops are expected to be added to a separate trip to Europe Powell is now planning for mid-May, the officials said.

Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, is expected to be confirmed by the Palestinian parliament Tuesday but Washington fears that a visit by Powell so soon after assuming his position may not be productive, officials said.

"A lot depends on when Abu Mazen has gotten his feet on the ground, set up his office and government and how effective he can be as an interlocutor for the Secretary," a senior State Department official said.

As Powell considered his options, he met Monday with his Jordanian counterpart Marwan Muasher to discuss peace efforts and renewed U.S. calls for Arab and other nations to drop contacts with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in favor of Abbas.

"Chairman Arafat is there, but I believe we need new, reinvigorated leadership of the kind that we hope Abu Mazen will bring to the table," Powell told reporters after meeting with Muasher at the State Department.

"This is not the time to look back," he said. "It's a time to look forward and do everything we can to help the new prime minister."

Muasher was cool to the call and did mention Arafat by name, but said Jordan would support Abbas' new government and said the ongoing reform effort were "very encouraging."

Muasher also called for Israel to take speedy steps, including the lifting of curfews, the end to the demolition of Palestinian homes and a halt to Israeli settlement activities, to implement the roadmap provisions.

"These are the kind of early activities that we would be looking at to see whether we can indeed translate the roadmap into a tangible difference on the ground," he said.

Vote On Abu Mazen Cabinet

Abu Mazen only hours away from taking office

The radical change in Powell’s Mideast tour could easily be interpreted as a clear sign the release of the so-called “roadmap” peace plan is to be delayed, even though the Palestinians are meeting their part of the deal so far. U.S. senior officials, topped by President Bush, has promised the release of the plan once Abu Mazen’s cabinet was approved, a move that seems only hours away.

On Tuesday, members of the Palestinian parliament, meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah, are expected to endorse a new Palestinian cabinet and prime minister, following weeks of internal wrangling, reported the BBC online news service.

On Monday, the dominant Palestinian parliamentary faction, Fatah, said it would support the new cabinet of Palestinian Prime Minister-designate Mahmoud Abbas.

Abbas needs the support of 43 legislators in the 85-seat Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) to gain approval for his cabinet.

Fatah comprises two-thirds of the legislature and the movement's leaders have instructed their deputies to back Abbas.

Over the last year the council has repeatedly shown that it is not a rubber stamp chamber, but this time, aware of the particular stakes right now, many expect a 'yes' vote, the BBC said.

The way for a vote was cleared after Arafat agreed to accept some of Abbas' cabinet choices, after earlier opposing the replacement of several ministers loyal to Arafat.

Washington has refused to deal with Arafat since June last year, when Bush declared that the Palestinians must elect "new leaders... not compromised by terror".

On Monday, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said that once a new Palestinian government is confirmed, the roadmap will be published "very shortly after".

The plan envisages an Israeli pullback from Palestinian autonomous areas and a freeze on settlement building, and an end to attacks on Israelis by Palestinian resistance activists.

It aims to establish a provisional Palestinian state with temporary borders by the end of this year and a permanent Palestinian state within three years.