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Bush Pressed to Limit Role of EU, UN in "Road Map"

(Reuters) A majority in Congress has signed onto a lobbying campaign to limit the oversight role of Washington's three Quartet peace plan partners - the EU, UN, and Russia - seen by many of Israel's supporters as biased in favor of the Palestinians. Already 83 senators and 278 members of the House of Representatives have signed letters objecting to efforts to pressure Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to make concessions until the Palestinians do more to fight terrorism, according to the pro-Israel lobby group, AIPAC. The lawmakers are warning Bush against giving the three other Quartet members a "meaningful role" in monitoring the peace plan. "There is growing disdain for those other parties based on Iraq," said one senior congressional aide. The White House has not spelled out what role its Quartet partners would play going forward, but has suggested it would be limited. "The Quartet was helpful...in producing the road map," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said, adding, "The future of the road map is up to Israel and the Palestinians. Those are the parties that will determine the acceptance of the road map."
2003-04-25 00:00:00
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