Powell Arrives for Talks On Palestinian Transition

[Rose Siding]

JERUSALEM, Nov. 21 -- In a drive to jump-start the moribund peace process, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell arrived here Sunday for talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders about steps to facilitate the Palestinian political transition after the death of Yasser Arafat.
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The United States wants to provide $20 million in new aid, which Powell had hoped to announce on this trip, directly to the Palestinian Authority to help pay for elections. But because of congressional intervention, Powell must first press for more guarantees of accountability and oversight to ensure that the funds are not siphoned off by corrupt officials or end up in the hands of extremist groups, U.S. officials said.

"We have some ideas and we are examining what resources might be available," Powell said. The Bush administration now hopes to be able to announce a new aid commitment at an international donors conference next month in Norway, U.S. officials said.
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"We'd all like to see a Palestinian state come into being as quickly as possible. But it is difficult to put any date on it. The end of 2005 was the date we had hoped for in 2002," Powell said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1933-2004Nov21.html