WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush said Tuesday that a Palestinian state was always "part of a vision" if Israel's right to exist is respected. He said the two parties needed to get to work "on the Mitchell process" which he said provides a clear path to solving the crisis in the Middle East.
He refused, when asked, to say whether he had been prepared to announce his support for a Palestinian state prior to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on Washington and New York.
The president's statement at a meeting with congressional leaders, follows news that the administration is considering a series of high-profile steps related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to secure much-needed Arab support for the international coalition against terrorism.
State Department and other senior administration officials told CNN on Monday that drafts of a major policy speech on the Middle East, to be delivered by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, are circulating in the State Department for review.
Officials said the speech will "clarify its [U.S.] views on an end result" of the peace process, which would lead to the eventual "creation of a Palestinian state."
http://usinfo.state.gov/topical/pol/terror/2001latam.htm
Powell works phones again to push for "substantive" Mideast talks LIMA, Sept 10 - US Secretary of State Colin Powell said late Monday he hopes high-level Israeli-Palestinian talks will make progress toward achieving a ceasefire. "It is important for these two gentlemen to talk to each other and not just have a meeting without results with a press opportunity later where there is no progress," Powell said from Lima, where he is participating in an Organization of American States meeting. (AFP)
http://www.ptd.net/webnews/list/world.americas.html
Powell works phones again to push for "substantive" Mideast talks AFP / 10:10PM LIMA, Sept 10 (AFP) - US Secretary of State Colin Powell said late Monday he hopes high-level Israeli-Palestinian talks will make progress toward achieving a ceasefire.
I could not get the rest of the article, but I still cannot find the whole thing where there was a planned speech or actualy speech by Powell at the UN recognizing the state of Palestine. I am still looking.
That's a biggy right there.