US Secretary of State Colin Powell is scheduled to leave for the Middle East on Sunday in an effort to find a peaceful solution to the current conflict between Israel and Palestinians, the Department of State said on Friday.
"The secretary of state will depart for the region on Sunday April 7," State Department spokesman Philip Reeker told reporters, adding that his itinerary in the Middle East has not yet been finalized.
Reeker said Powell had planned a stopover Wednesday and Thursday in Madrid, Spain, where he will meet with his Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.
In an apparent policy shift on the Middle East conflict, US President George W. Bush decided on Thursday to send Powell to the region and urged Israel to withdraw its troops from Palestinian cities.
Bush said Powell would work to oversee an Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian cities and help bring the two sides back to the negotiating table for a cease-fire and then a political settlement.
(Xinhua News Agency April 6, 2002)
