Powell backed in Mideast peace bid
April 10, 2002 Posted: 2:17 PM EDT (1817 GMT)

Powell: "I am ... putting together a consensus ...." 
MADRID, Spain  -- The European Union, United Nations and Russia are backing Colin Powell's effort to bring peace to the Middle East. 

The "quartet," including the U.S. secretary of state, issued a communique calling for an immediate halt to Israel's military action in the West Bank and the "maximum possible effort" by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to stop terrorism. 

Powell heads to Israel on Thursday. An Israeli government source said Powell would meet Arafat in Ramallah on Saturday. 

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has said such a meeting would be a "tragic mistake," but the source said Israel had agreed to the meeting at Arafat's compound. 

The source said Israeli troops would pull back from the compound, where they have held Arafat in isolation since March 29. 

Powell will hold talks with Sharon in Jerusalem on Friday before going to Ramallah, the source said. 
Powell was in Madrid on Wednesday for talks with EU security chief Javier Solana, U.N. 

Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Pique. Spain currently holds the rotating six-month EU presidency. 

Saying he was "frankly appalled" at "this senseless confrontation," Annan warned of a humanitarian crisis and said aid workers must be allowed access to afflicted civilians. 

Annan also called Wednesday's deadly terror bombing in Haifa that left eight dead "morally repugnant and should be condemned and no one can defend it." 

The EU, United Nations and Russia backed Powell's efforts to help bring about a cease-fire that would lead to a political solution to the conflict. A joint declaration called for the implementation of the Tenet and Mitchell peace plans. 

"We call for an immediate, meaningful cease-fire and an immediate Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian cities, including Ramalllah, specifically including Chairman Arafat's headquarters," said the communique, which was read by Annan. 

"We call on Israel to fully comply with international humanitarian principles and to allow full and unimpeded access to humanitarian organisations and services. 

"We call on Israel to refrain from excessive use of force and undertake all possible efforts to ensure the protection of civilians. 

"We call on Chairman Arafat as a recognised elected leader of the Palestinian people to undertake immediately the maximum possible effort to stop terror attacks against innocent Israelis. 

"We call on the Palestinian Authority to act decisively and take all possible steps in its capacity to dismantle terrorist infrastructure, including terrorist financing, and to stop incitement to violence. 

"We call on Chairman Arafat to use the full weight of his political authority to persuade the Palestinian people that any and all terrorist attacks against Israelis should end immediately. 

"We call on Israel and the Palestinian Authority to reach agreement on cease-fire proposals put forward by General Anthony Zinni without further delay," the statement added. 

The "quartet" said in the communique that there was "no military solution" to the crisis and it called on the parties to move toward a political resolution. 

The statement stressed that there must be an end to firing across the Lebanese border which threatened to escalate hostilities outside Israel. 

"We express our grave concern about the most recent attacks from Lebanon across the U.N.-determined blue line," the statement said. 

Speaking in his U.N. capacity, Annan said Israel must protect civilians and end the destruction of civilian and personal property in the West Bank. He called on the donor community to respond to the crisis. 

"Obviously, the situation is very grave. I suspect that none of us will know the fully gravity of the situation until we gain access to all the territories that are now a theatre of battle. I have a sense that we will be shocked by what we see." 

"I think all of us are concerned about the humanitarian situation," Powell said. 

During questions, Powell said violence in any form is "counterproductive." He reiterated the need for a vision of an Israel and a Palestinian state living side by side with secure, recognised borders. 

Powell's Europe, Middle East and Africa shuttle mission had been dealt two blows with the deaths of 15 Israeli soldiers on Tuesday swiftly followed on Wednesday by the deaths in what Israeli police called a suicide bombing of at least eight Israelis in a bus at Haifa. 

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Aryeh Mekel said those who carried out Wednesday's terror attack were trying to disrupt Powell's visit to the region. He pointed out that the action took place after Israeli forces withdrew Tuesday from two cities -- Qalqilya and Tulkarem. 

"There is no question that Israel has no choice. We cannot allow the Palestinians to continue and disrupt normal life in the state of Israel. Therefore, we have to continue and fight terror, destroy the infrastructure, and continue to protect the citizens." 

Meanwhile, it was revealed that some of Arafat's top aides were meeting with him on Wednesday in Ramallah as a prelude to a meeting with U.S. envoy Zinni. 

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said he and PLO Secretary-General Abu Mazen, Information Minister Yasser Abbed Rabbo and Muhammed Dahlan, the security chief in Gaza, were seeing Arafat. 

The aides had requested the meeting, saying they had not been in contact with Arafat for several days and needed to confer with him before meeting Zinni.