US vows to keep 'road map' on track

Shocked by the resignation of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, the Bush administration said the Palestinians must find a new leader who stands apart from “a corrupt few tainted by terror” and will continue to seek peace based on a US-backed blueprint.

The statement from press secretary Scott McClellan showed the administration is not weakening in its disdain for Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian Authority chief who created the prime minister’s office this year to mollify the US and appointed Mr Abbas.