Bush to hold Mideast summit on ‘road map’

ISRAEL yesterday said US president George W Bush was likely to hold a summit with the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers in Jordan next week to promote a US-backed “road map” for Middle East peace.

Israeli foreign minister Silvan Shalom made the announcement at a Euro Mediterranean meeting in Greece a day after his country approved the plan in a historic step accepting the creation of a Palestinian state.

In the West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestinian president Yasser Arafat said he welcomed Israel's endorsement of the road map "but no doubt the 12 reservations they have placed on it raises question marks about this acceptance."