WASHINGTON?Plans for the creation of a Palestinian state cannot begin to take shape until Middle East violence is quelled, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday, a day before a much anticipated speech on the region.
“A new plan coming in from the flank isn’t what’s going to do it. It’s both sides working together, finding ways to talk to each other, so that we can get a real cease-fire in place,” Powell said on “Fox News Sunday.”
Powell, who was to deliver a speech Monday at the University of Louisville, said the plan would not offer any new U.S. policy on the Middle East.
“People keep asking for a new plan. We have a plan. It’s a solid plan. It’s called the Mitchell committee report,” he said, referring to a plan that calls for a cooling-off period and other confidence-building measures before any settlement talks could begin.
Both Powell and President Bush have endorsed a Palestinian state.