White House plan would create Palestinian state

WASHINGTON — The United States is working on a Middle East peace proposal that would include creating an independent Palestinian state, senior administration officials said Wednesday.

Such a plan would go a step further than the previous United States position, which was merely to endorse the idea.
Officials say they hope the U.S. proposal, which would offer guidelines for dealing with some of the most nagging problems that divide the two sides, would be unveiled by July. The administration has been trying to set up a Middle East conference that month to discuss peace efforts.

Administration officials said trips to the region this week by CIA Director George Tenet and Assistant Secretary of State William Burns are intended to get feedback from Arab leaders on possible guidelines for a peace plan.

Burns arrived in Egypt on Wednesday. Tenet departs to meet with Palestinian and Israeli officials and Arab leaders Friday night.

Both men are expected to return to Washington by late next week, in time to brief President Bush before a two-day summit at Camp David with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak has been a dependable United States ally, is influential among the leaders of Arab countries and is trusted by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.