PLO to Press Powell on Road Map

Palestinian leaders will tell Colin Powell, the US secretary of state, who is visiting the occupied territories today, that they want the Bush administration to commit itself to the creation of a Palestinian state by the end of next year.

Mr Powell arrived in Israel last night, launching a week of diplomatic activity aimed at reviving the peace process after the death of Yasser Arafat. The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, are also expected this week.

US officials say Mr Powell, who will meet the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, this morning before travelling to Jericho for talks with the Palestinians, is in the region to lend US backing to elections on January 9 to choose a new Palestinian Authority president.

"This is a moment of opportunity ... The big step ahead of us now is to assist the Palestinian people getting ready for the election," Mr Powell told reporters aboard his plane.

In Jericho, Mr Powell will meet the Palestinian prime minister, Ahmed Qureia, and the new head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, Mahmoud Abbas, who is favourite to win the election.

Mr Qureia said he would urge the US to commit itself to the timetable set out in the road map peace plan, which envisages a Palestinian state in 2005. Mr Bush has suggested a much longer timeframe.

"We will ask the Americans for a clear commitment to the original timetable for the road map and about the link between disengagement and the road map," he said. "Talk of establishing the state by 2008 will allow Israel to continue building settlements and swallowing more Palestinian land, which will damage the peace process."

Mr Qureia said he also planned to urge Mr Powell to put pressure on the Israelis to ease the occupation in the run-up to the election, and to release jailed Palestinian leaders, including Marwan Barghouti, who is considered a possible election candidate.