(New York Times) The Bush administration has sent new signals to Prime Minister Sharon demanding that his government stop its expansion of settlements and the construction of a barrier in the West Bank, administration officials said Monday. The administration's concern was conveyed last week in a meeting in Rome between Sharon and the White House's top Middle East adviser, Elliott Abrams. Dov Weisglass, Sharon's chief of staff, is to meet Tuesday with senior American officials at the White House to discuss the administration's plan to reduce the amount of loan guarantees to Israel. The administration favors cutting loan guarantees for Israel by about $250 million of $9 billion over three years, invoking a requirement enacted by Congress that such aid be reduced by what Israel spends on certain activities in the West Bank.
2003-11-25 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive