ARABS-ISRAEL - April 30 - Sharon & Abbas Receive 'Road Map'.

US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer presents PM Ariel Sharon with the long-awaited "road map" for peace, and international mediators also present the plan, drawn up by a quartet of the US, the EU, the UN and Russia, to Palestinian PM Mahmoud Abbas. (This comes as Abbas is sworn in as prime minister of the PA. On April 29, Arafat endorsed the new prime minister's team after weeks of wrangling over its composition - see Palestine). The "road map" is expected to prompt a round of intense diplomacy to end the 31 months of violence. US Pres. Bush indicated his personal commitment to the success of the initiative in a White House statement, saying: "The road map represents a starting point toward achieving the vision of two states - a secure state of Israel and a viable, peaceful democratic Palestine - that I set out on June 24 2002". Urging both sides to end violence immediately, he said he would send US State Secretary Colin Powell to the region. A quartet delegation that visited Abbas said a US team led by US State Department official William Burns would visit the region next week to meet PA leaders and discuss the implementation of the road map and how progress would be monitored. The delegation also made clear that Israel would not be allowed to avoid its obligations by imposing unilateral conditions or setting its own sequence for implementation, according to Saeb Erekat, the new PA minister for negotiations. To implement the plan, which envisages the creation of a Palestinian state in 2005, Sharon and Abbas must both overcome resistance from rejectionists. But Hamas, the radical Islamic movement, has already vowed to defy Abbas' orders to end violence. Its spiritual leader Shaikh Ahmad Yassin rejected the peace plan and vowed that there would be no respite in attacks on Israel. He told Reuters in Gaza City: "The road map aims to assure security for Israel at the expense of the security of our people. It is a plan to liquidate the Palestinian cause (for independence). It is rejected by us". Israeli officials have said the new government of Palestinian PM Abbas will be judged on the measures it takes to curb Palestinian violence. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer described Mahmoud Abbas as a prime minister "dedicated to moving the Palestinian people in a different direction, a direction away from violence". Meanwhile, EU spokeswoman Emma Udwin said the EU would redirect its aid to the Palestinians towards the private sector and the social services instead of making direct payments to the PA. She said the EU's current monthly donations of 10m which go towards paying the salaries of Palestinian public sector workers, would stop. They would be replaced by an 80m finance facility targeted on the payment of arrears to small enterprises and social services and 10m for technical assistance to promote public finance reforms. EU external relations commissioner Chris Patten said EU aid would continue to be linked to reform, adding: "Our objectives remain the same: a stronger Palestinian Authority administration, better conditions for the Palestinian people and a continuing process of reform".