JERUSALEM, May 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told his cabinet on Sunday that he would not visit Washington next week as scheduled.

    "He has cancelled his trip," an official in Sharon's office confirmed.

    Sharon has been publicly equivocating about his trip. He announced last week that he wouldn't go and then reversed his decision the same day.

    The prime minister originally planned to fly to Washington to talk with US President George W. Bush and speak at a conference sponsored by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobby group.

    Israeli cabinet gathered for its weekly meeting on Sunday to discuss the implications of Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan,which proposes a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and parts of the northern West Bank, being overwhelmingly rejected by the right-wing Likud party a week ago.

    During the cabinet session, Sharon also said that he would bring an alternative to his disengagement plan before the government within the next three weeks.

    However, he refused to hold a broad discussion on the alternative plan, saying that he would be meeting in the next few days with all the cabinet ministers to help formulate his alternative proposal and there was no point in talking about a plan which was not complete.

    The cabinet discussion is due to be followed by talks between Sharon and Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the plan. Enditem