Powell's Mission Ends Without Ceasefire Deal

Israel has promised to withdraw its troops from Palestinian towns and villages, the US secretary state, Colin Powell, said today as he gave a blunt message to the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, that "terrorism must end".

Winding down a 10-day peace mission that has had limited results, Mr Powell said he would return to the region "to move ahead" with efforts to get negotiations on track.

Other US diplomats will remain behind to follow up on his talks and the US president, George Bush, is prepared to send the CIA director, George Tenet, to promote security cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians, he added.

But he has been unable to get both sides to agree a ceasefire, which he said is impossible to achieve while the Israeli army remains in the West Bank. The Palestinians argue that its occupation means they are unable to crack down on militants using their own security forces.

Israeli troops today swept through Issawiyah, a Palestinian district of Jerusalem, and two villages in the West Bank, taking residents from their homes and making arrests.

"Ceasefire is not a relevant term at the moment," Mr Powell said, adding that the Israeli offensive was the obstacle that "keeps us from moving" into a framework for peace negotiations.

However, he added that he took the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, at his word that he would end his military campaign in the next few days.

He also said he had made it clear to Mr Arafat that the world was looking for him to move beyond condemnations of terrorism and take action against militants and suicide bombers who attack Israelis.

"It's time for him to make a strategic choice and lead his people down the path of peace," said Mr Powell.

"Statements as we all know now are not enough. It's not what I believe or don't believe. It's what we see him do that will be the important measurement as we move forward."

The secretary of state said any progress is difficult because confidence between Israel and the Palestinians has gone.

"Both sides will have to shift from long-held positions but we will never get to negotiations and we will never be able to move forward until we bring the violence down."

After his meeting with Mr Powell earlier in the day, Mr Arafat focused on Israel's siege of his Ramallah compound and appealed for international help in a live television broadcast.

"I have to ask the Bush administration, the international community, is this acceptable that I cannot go out the door?" he said.

Just next door, Israeli gunners peeked through half-opened windows and Israeli tanks ensured the confinement of the Palestinian leader.

"Who can accept this?" he asked.

Mr Powell is returning to Washington via Cairo, but a planned meeting with the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, was abruptly cancelled.

Mr Mubarak called off the meeting hours before the US envoy arrived in Egypt. Egyptian officials did not say why the meeting, announced a day earlier, was cancelled. Many were likely to see it as a snub.

Mr Powell reached Cairo later today and went immediately into talks with the Egyptian foreign minister, Ahmed Maher, and the visiting Jordanian foreign minister, Marwan Muasher.