Setting aside his goal for creating a Palestinian state next year, US President George W Bush has said that he would spend the next four years trying to establish a "truly free state."
"I believe we have got a great chance to establish a Palestinian state, and I intend to use the next four years to spend the capital of the United States on such a state. I believe it is in the interest of the world that a truly free [Palestinian] state develops," he said at a press conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Friday.
He said his only concern was that such a state should be free and democratic.
Bush also insisted that Yasser Arafat's successor be chosen through free elections. "We will hold their feet to the fire to make sure that democracy prevails, that there are free elections."
He did not endorse Blair's proposals, which included an international peace conference and the designation of a US envoy to the
Blair, in an interview to ABC TV, said a key part of the roadmap was to make sure that international donations to the Palestinian Authority were used "for the good of the Palestinian people" and not diverted to secret bank accounts.
Israeli officials said they were pleased by Bush's comments, especially because the US president sidestepped a question on whether Israel should freeze growth in the West Bank settlements.
In his reply, Bush said though a settlement freeze was required in the quartet's road map, "I believe that the responsibility for peace is going to rest with the Palestinian people's desire to build a democracy and Israel's willingness to help them build a democracy."
US Secretary of State Colin Powell, in an obvious attempt at damage control, later told al-Arabiya TV: "The President's position on settlements is well known, and he wants to see the end of settlement activity."
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