The United States says it no longer subscribes to the Middle East peace proposals made by former President Bill Clinton.
|
|
Mr Bill Clinton
|
State Department spokesman Mr Richard Boucher said, as the Clinton administration had said before it left office on January 20th, the proposals would die at the end of his term, unless adopted by both the Israelis and Palestinians.
"The ideas and parameters that were discussed in the last few months were President Clinton's parameters and therefore, when he left office, they were no longer a US proposal or a presidential proposal," he told a briefing.
Israel had said it would negotiate on the basis on the Clinton proposals if the Palestinians would too. Palestinian leader Mr Yasser Arafat decided the proposals fell short of meeting Palestinians expectations.
Mr Clinton proposed a Palestinian state in Gaza and most of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, on condition that the Palestinians give some of the West Bank to Israel and give up their claim that refugees have a right to return to Israel.
Mr Boucher said the United States did not take a position on how peace talks should resume between Israel and the Palestinians now that Mr Ariel Sharon has won the Israeli elections this week.
Reuters