Palestinians pledged new efforts Monday to coax militants into a truce with Israel after talks in Cairo broke down, undercutting Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie and deflating hopes of reviving a peace “road map.” The failure to arrange a cease-fire set back the moderate Qurie’s bid to gain credibility among ordinary Palestinians by encouraging Israel to lift its military clampdown on West Bank cities and strengthening U.S. backing for a Palestinian state. Palestinian officials said the militants’ rejection of Egypt’s proposal for a total cease-fire weakened Qurie’s position ahead of any summit with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news – web sites) on core political issues like Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Israeli Vice Premier Ehud Olmert said the collapse of the Cairo talks Sunday showed Qurie was reluctant to rein in militants as required by the U.S.-backed road map and pointed to “the possible failure of (his) government in the near future.” Full Story
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