CAIRO, Oct. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said that the Gaza disengagement plan being pushed forward by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has provided an opportunity for reactivating peace talks.

    In an interview with Egypt's Nile TV aired on Saturday, Powell said that the Palestinians should grab the opportunity as Israel prepares to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank.

    "I think that even though this might have started out as a unilateral action on the part of the Israeli Government, it now holds the possibility of Palestinians getting control over all of Gaza ... and using this as a way to enter into final status discussions with the Israelis," Powell said.

    "The US position is that what Mr. Sharon is doing and what he is now pushing through his government is part of the overall roadmap process, and it is an opportunity that the Palestinian Authority and the international community should use to further progress toward final status discussions," he said.

    The Israeli Knesset (parliament) on Tuesday approved Sharon's plan to withdraw from all the 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and four others in the West Bank.

    It was historic as Israeli lawmakers voted for what would be the first evacuation of Jewish settlers from the occupied territories.

    But many Palestinians fear that Sharon will use the withdrawal to strengthen Israel's control of the West Bank and east Jerusalem, further destroying the Palestinians' hope for an independent state. Enditem