Colin Powell

 Mr. Powell was speaking at a news conference in Jerusalem Wednesday at the end of his peace mission to the region and following a second meeting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

 Secretary Powell said he made it clear to Mr. Arafat that he must decide, as the rest of the world has decided, that terrorism must end. Mr. Powell also said he takes Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at his word that Israeli troops will withdraw from recently occupied West Bank Palestinian areas within "a week or so."

 Mr. Powell said the United States is working for a resolution to the stand-off at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, where scores of people, including Palestinian gunmen, have besieged by the Israeli army for more than two weeks. The U.S. secretary of state said senior U.S. officials will be in the region to try to end the Israeli-Palestinian violence, and that he is also prepared to return to the area to continue his efforts, though he gave no date.

 Mr. Powell met with Mr. Arafat for two hours in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Speaking to reporters afterwards, an outraged Mr. Arafat appealed to the United States and the international community to break Israel's siege of his headquarters. He asked "Is it acceptable that I cannot go outside from this door?"

 Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said the Israeli prime minister had "torpedoed" Mr. Powell's mission. Before returning to Washington, Mr. Powell will stop in Cairo, where he is to review his peace efforts with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher and Jordan's Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher.
 
 

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. 

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