'Quartet' backs Sharon on Gaza pullout

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The United Nations, European Union and Russia, which co-authored the latest Mideast peace proposal with the United States, agreed with the Bush administration yesterday that Israel's plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip is "a rare moment of opportunity."

But the group stopped short of recognizing Jewish settlements in the West Bank, which Washington has called a reality of life.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, meanwhile, began consultations with his Cabinet on amending plans for the Gaza withdrawal, after its rejection by the ruling Likud Party on Sunday.

Officials of the so-called "Quartet" -- the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia -- met in New York yesterday to try to show that Middle East diplomacy is alive.

The meeting also represented an attempt to address anger in the Arab world that was triggered by President Bush's acceptance last month of permanent Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

"We took positive note of Prime Minister Sharon's announced intention to withdraw from all Gaza settlements and parts of the West Bank," U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan read from a joint statement after the meeting.

"This should provide a rare moment of opportunity in the search for peace in the Middle East."

The three-page statement also said that any Israeli withdrawal should be implemented in the context of the Quartet-sponsored "road map" for peace, which envisions creating a Palestinian state by next year.

"This initiative, which must lead to a full Israeli withdrawal and complete end of occupation in Gaza, can be a step towards achieving the two-state vision and could restart progress on the road map," Mr. Annan said, in reference to Mr. Sharon's plan.

"We also note that no party should take unilateral actions that seek to predetermine issues that can only be resolved through negotiation and agreement between the two parties," he said.

The Palestinian observer at the United Nations, Nasser al-Kidwa, dismissed the Quartet's statement as "mumbling that could mean anything."

He told the Associated Press that the statement reflected the Bush administration's agenda.

A group of about 50 former U.S. diplomats sent a letter to Mr. Bush yesterday, saying his "unabashed support" for Mr. Sharon is costing the United States "credibility, prestige and friends."

"By closing the door to negotiations with Palestinians and the possibility of a Palestinian state, you have proved that the U.S. is not an evenhanded peace partner," the letter said.

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, who represented the United States at the Quartet meeting, repeated the administration's pledge yesterday that it is not prejudging the outcome of future negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians and "has not abandoned their hope for a Palestinian state."

In Jerusalem, Israeli officials said Mr. Sharon would try to push through his proposal, which sought to empty all Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and four of 120 settlements in the West Bank, with as few changes as possible.