US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday that the United States would be able to address Arab concerns about the US commitment to the roadmap for the Middle East peace.

"I am sure we can address," Powell said at the State Department after meeting visiting European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana. "The concerns that others have expressed, I think we can address."

Powell admitted that those concerns had prompted Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath and Jordan's King Abdullah to postpone their planned US visit this week.

However, Powell stressed that the United States had not abandoned the roadmap plan. "The fact of the matter is the president is absolutely committed to (the) creation of a Palestinian state," he said. "That is our commitment, he has not stepped away from that," Powell said.

The roadmap plan, drawn up by the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia, envisions the establishment of a Palestinian state living alongside Israel and also seeks to guarantee Israel's security.

US President George W. Bush has expressed endorsement of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's unilateral plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip but retain some Jewish settlements in the WestBank, reversing the decades-old US stance that the settlements mount an obstacle to peace.

The Arabs have roundly denounced Bush's endorsement of Sharon'splan.

Source: Xinhua