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Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/04/20/national1246EDT0580.DTL
Powell: Israeli Retention of Settlement Blocs Requires Palestinian Consent
(AP/San Francisco Chronicle) Barry Schweid - Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday the Bush administration was determined to launch a Palestinian state next year and that any decision to keep Israeli population centers on the West Bank would require Palestinian consent. Powell said any decisions on fundamental issues - meaning borders and Palestinian refugees - "will be done ultimately with mutual agreement between the parties." Powell also sought to reassure anxious European governments who back the Arabs in demanding Israel retain none of the West Bank. He said after meeting with Javier Solana, the senior EU diplomat, that Palestinian approval was necessary on all big issues.