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Source: http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/37599.htm
Powell: Disengagement Plan Part of Roadmap Process
(State Department) U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told Egyptian Television on Friday: "We have said, for a long period of time, that we believe the Palestinian people would be better off with an empowered prime minister who has political authority and who has control of the security forces. And that individual, so empowered, would give the Israelis a partner for negotiations, and would give the Quartet a partner for negotiations." "In the understanding that we have with Prime Minister Sharon that was announced by Prime Minister Sharon and President Bush in April, this [the disengagement plan] is part of the roadmap process, to bring out the settlements in Gaza, start with four settlements in the West Bank, and get into the roadmap where both sides, the Palestinian side and the Israeli side, will negotiate further reduction of settlements in the West Bank and resolve all final status issues between the two of them, not the U.S. resolving them, but only the two parties negotiating with each other."