U.S. Undersecretary of State to meet with PA leaders

A senior U.S. diplomat will meet PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian leaders on the eve of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's visit to the region, an American official said Saturday.

William Burns, the U.S. undersecretary of state, is set to meet Abbas, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia and caretaker President Rauhi Fatuh in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday, the official said on condition of anonymity.

A Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Palestinian leaders would use the meetings with Burns to set an agenda for contacts with Powell. Powell is scheduled to meet Israeli and Palestinian officials Monday.

According to Palestinian sources, Powell's visit is meant to set the stage for the renewal of contacts between the PA and the U.S. following the death of Yasser Arafat, and to prepare for a visit by the new secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice. Rice is expected to travel to the West Bank and Gaza within several months.

As part of preparations for Powell's visit, Qureia met with foreign diplomats on Saturday, including the U.S. envoy, David Peirce, in East Jerusalem.

Quereia said he would seek assurances from Powell that the timetable U.S. President George W. Bush raised in the road map peace plan, which calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state by 2005, will be honored.

Giving Israel more time would lead to more land grabs, Qureia argued. "We'll tell him that the four years' time that was mentioned by President Bush to establish a Palestinian state will encourage the Israeli government to continue stealing our lands to build settlements and the [separation] wall," Qureia told a Palestinian journalist on Friday. "It is very dangerous."

Powell and foreign ministers from Britain, Russia and other nations are traveling to the Middle East in hopes of restarting peace efforts amid a new spirit of optimism following the death of Arafat, the Palestinians' longtime leader.

"We certainly see an opportunity now in front of us, the Palestinian Authority is showing a lot of sense of responsibility," said European Union envoy Mark Otte after his Saturday meeting with Qureia. "First of all we will support the elections, which is part of the road map."

Palestinian officials said Powell would arrive for talks in the West Bank town of Jericho on Monday. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was expected on Wednesday and Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos on December 2.

	PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas, seen praying at a mosque inside the Muqata in Ramallah on Friday, says incitement is an issue both sides should discuss in negotiations. (AP)