RAMALLAH, Nov. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei stressed on Saturday that the United States must be committed to implementing the roadmap plan for peace in the Middle East.

    Qurei told reporters that it was very important that the United States be committed to achieving the goals set by the roadmap peace plan by the end of 2005.

    He slammed US President Gorge W. Bush's statements that a new time limit for establishing an independent Palestinian state would be for another four years, saying "this is tantamount to giving Israel more time to confiscate the Palestinian lands."

    Qurei also said the Palestinian National Authority would call upon the US administration as well as the other members of the Quartet to help establish the state of Palestine in 13 months, or by the end of 2005 as slated in the roadmap.

    This issue would be highlighted during the coming visit of the US Secretary of State Colin Powell, added Qurei.

    In addition, well-informed Palestinian sources said Qurei would meet several Arab, foreign and US consuls and ambassadors on Saturday to discuss the issue.

    The Quartet, grouping the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations, drafted the so-called roadmap peace plan, which calls for a ceasefire between the Israelis and the Palestinians and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state by 2005.

    The plan had been virtually deserted as Israel and Washington considered late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as an obstacle to the peace process and refused to resume peace negotiations with the Palestinians. Enditem