| Interim prime minister commits to road map Original Source Link: (May no longer be active) http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-01-24T182904Z_01_L24543133_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST-OLMERT.xml&rpc=22http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-01-24T182904Z_01_L24543133_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST-OLMERT.xml&rpc=22
Israel's Olmert commits to road map, seeks border Tue Jan 24, 2006 1:29 PM ET
HERZLIYA, Israel (Reuters) - Israel's interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called on Tuesday for full implementation of a U.S.-backed peace "road map" and pledged to meet a commitment to remove unauthorized settler outposts.
In his first policy speech since assuming the powers of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who was incapacitated by a stroke on January 4, Olmert said Israel needed to set a clear border with the Palestinians as soon as possible.
"The only way to achieve this is the full implementation of the road map," Olmert told the Herzliya security conference, also on the eve of a Palestinian parliamentary election.
"We will uphold all the obligations we adopted for ourselves in the framework of the road map and we demand that the (Palestinian) leadership in Ramallah do likewise."
Olmert emphasized that Israel's commitments include "limiting construction in the settlements, improving the quality of life of the Palestinian residents and dismantling unauthorized outposts."
While Israel has failed to meet its own road map pledges on West Bank settlements, the Palestinians have not met their own commitments to begin disarming militants. Israel has often said there can be no talks on Palestinian statehood before they do.
Olmert said that he hoped the results of the Palestinian election would enable progress toward peace talks.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
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