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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, March 28, 2004

Israel pushes US to accept its pullout plan: report

Israel wants the Bush Administration to agree that if it pulls forces and settlers out of Palestinian areas, three settlement clusters in the West Bank and near Jerusalem would be retained by Israel in any final accord on its boundaries, the New York Times reported on Saturday.


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Israel wants the Bush Administration to agree that if it pulls forces and settlers out of Palestinian areas, three settlement clusters in the West Bank and near Jerusalem would be retained by Israel in any final accord on its boundaries, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

Quoting US and Israeli officials, the report said the request for American approval of the proposal was pressed this week by aides to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in discussions with administration officials in preparation for Sharon's coming visit to the United States in April.

No decision had been made on Israel's request, which US officials said posed a quandary for President George W. Bush, the report said.

While Bush wanted to encourage Sharon to carry out proposed withdrawals in Gaza and the West Bank, the timing was not ideal, and it remained unclear just how far - and how completely - Israel would withdraw, the report added.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan announced on Friday Sharon would visit and hold talks with President Bush in the White House on April 14 and Bush "looks forward to reviewing bilateral issues and the situation in the region with Prime Minister Sharon, including the war on terror and the search for Israeli-Palestinian peace."

Sharon originally planned to visit the United States this week, but the visit was delayed due to the uproar caused by Israel's assassination of Hamas spiritual leader Sheik Yassin.

There has been a surge of anti-Israel and anti-US demonstrations following Israel's killing of Yassin on March 22.


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